Indeterminate Equation
by Una
Summary: Final Chapter !! Scorpius wants the wormhole technology - at all costs. Aeryn and John have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep their greedy dysfunctional family together, but will they succeed?
1. Binaries

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of 'Farscape' depicted in this story are legal property of Rockne S. O'Bannon, Brian Henson, Jim Henson Corp., Hallmark Entertainment, Nine Networks, The SciFi Channel, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. 

R-rated: for sexual and brutal situations and language. 

Author's Note: Minor spoilers for _LATP 1-3, The Locket_   
Many great thanks to my beta readers Nerys (Part One), Linda Chica (Part Two) and Jackie (Part Three to Five), you did a wonderful job :)   
Comments are welcome at _[Una][1]_

# ****

INDETERMINATE EQUATIONS 

by

Una Fritz

Chapter One - Binaries 

Aeryn Sun walked through the deserted corridors of Moya in what passed as night on the huge leviathan, a silent sentry guarding the sleep of her crew mates. She could not sleep and had been restless ever since she and D'Argo had rescued John from becoming a reigning statue. 

Over the last weekens and monens, she had berated herself over and over again for her behaviour. The last microts before and after his rescue were branded in her mind. The urgency and desperation of those moments had left her full of excitement and despair. She knew that Crichton had a life of his own and likewise, that he had a sex life of his own. Women fell for him easily and frequently, that alien stranger in Sebacean guise, that much was true. Even she, Aeryn, had felt the urge to be near him, feel him, touch him ... but ever since they had met Gilina on the Zelbinion, ever since she had seen with her own eyes the kiss Gilina received that _SHE_ had wanted and craved, had kept those feelings in check. Of course, she was only that much of a Sebacean not to succumb to his charms - and she had numerous times - despite everything she had held dear in her former life. 

She did not know what had made her do the things she had done. She didn't even know why she felt the way she did for John.   
John ... it always came back to one simple word, one simple human being, as he called himself. 

_John_, the name echoed in her mind and for several microts, she closed her eyes and steadied herself against one of Moya's beams. _ When exactly had she begun to refer to him by his first name when alone?_ she asked herself. _And why did she insist on calling him Crichton when they were together?_

She had to do something, she had to fight all those uncertain and never-encountered feelings that were sending her into a turmoil of emotions. Peacekeepers used sex as a release for stress, she knew that and she had more than once dwelled in that standard procedure within Peacekeeper units. She had had sex with a lot of her comrades, short, meaning-less encounters, forgotten in less time than it took for the actual act itself. 

But this time, she felt differently. When she had offered him the genetic compatibility potion, she had been sure that he would refuse. After all, he had left two women and Hezmana only knew how many offspring down on the planet, but he had not. John had taken the vial and had put a drop of the substance into her mouth and then ... John's lips on hers, his breath fanning her heated skin, his deep, almost desperate kiss, had changed all that. Then the sweetness in her mouth ... the honeylike taste - and the knowing John was compatible with her, something she had known right from the start.   
Somewhere deep inside of herself, a place which John had once called _the soul_, was awakening and quivering like a newly born leviathan and it scared the frell out of her. She had to stop it. She could not be hindered and confused by something she could not determine. Over the last two cycles John had created in her more and more confusion, revealing sides of her personality that she'd never had guessed were present, that hit her with the full force of a charging Chentiige bear. 

"It was the heat of the moment," she reminded herself in a whisper but she knew only too well that her words were a lie. _See where this all has led you, Aeryn Sun_, she thought to herself. _Once a proud member of the Pleisar Regiment, now you've stooped to lying to yourself_. 

_Even though John refuses to acknowledge that our night on the false Earth was real, that __I_ was real, I know what happened, Aeryn thought and she hugged herself. _I can still hear the rain and our heartbeats beating as one ..._

Aeryn shook her head and continued her sentry for the night. When she came to Pilot's chamber, the main chamber of Moya, Pilot looked up and something like a fleeting smile lighted his face. 

"Good eveninng, Officer Sun," he said, while his hands moved over the control panels. 

Aeryn nodded to Pilot and like so many nights before squatted beside the nest and watched Pilot in silence. Moya's symbiont had grown accustomed to the former Peacekeeper's frequent nocturnal visits though he was not sure what that had brought upon him. The humming of Moya decreased slightly as if the leviathan wanted to tell Pilot to just be there, to listen to Aeryn Sun like he did to Moya.   
Pilot turned around when he noticed that Aeryn Sun was watching him. 

"Is anything the matter, Officer Sun?" he asked in that very educated, refined voice of his. Aeryn wanted to shake her head but stopped in mid-motion. 

"Pilot, have you ever done something that you could not describe or analyse?" she asked suddenly. 

Pilot was surprized but hid his amazement well. He pondered her question, not knowing what to reply to her simple request. 

"I don't know, Officer Sun," he replied, hesitation in his voice. 

Aeryn nodded in repsonse. If she didn't know the answer to her question how should Pilot know. 

"I think... it has been a foolish thing to do ... staying onboard Moya ..." she said slowly, and that got Pilot's complete attention. 

"But weren't you _irreversably contaminated_ by Commander Crichton and the others? Does that not mean, by Peacekeeper standards, immediate extermination?" 

"Yes, Pilot, it means just that. But I don't know if dying a Peacekeeper isn't better than living as an _Ex_ Peacekeeper. When I still wore the chip of my regiment, I was a Peacekeeper, it was my duty to fight, to kill and die the Peacekeeper way. Now, I do not know what else I can do. I ... am not a Peacekeeper anymore ... and my duty ..." 

"Is to stay alive, Aeryn Sun. As it is for all of us. You are very important to Moya and the others. You are an Ex-Peacekeeper, this is true, but your training and your knowledge has kept Moya and the others alive. Do not dismiss your importance so easily, Officer Aeryn Sun. You are essential to the well being of us all." 

Aeryn nodded. She had heard it all before, from John. She sighed and hid her face in her hands pressing her eyes shut so forcefully that it hurt. 

_You can be much more. Wasn't that what got me into this mess the first place?_ she thought. Now she was aboard Moya, a member of that ragtag crew, and an _Ex_ Peacekeeper. 

_Oh yes, I can be so much more_, she thought bitterly. 

"Officer Sun, Moya and I think that the problem does not lie in you being aboard this ship. You were born to live on a leviathan..." Pilot began and watched Aeryn looking at him. "Whatever it is that is hurting you and keeping you from your rightful sleep, you should solve it. You are free now, just like Moya and ... myself. You should seek what you want and not hide behind your Peacekeeper upbringing." 

Aeryn wanted to answer with a snide remark, but something stopped her. Pilot had never given such an insightful remark before, perhaps Moya influenced him or perhaps it was the fact that her DNA was still contaminated with Pilot's, but there was a bond between them and he spoke the truth. 

"Sometime, perhaps even soon he will get a chance to go home," Aeryn said slowly, suddenly seeming to skirt the topic, as she eyed Pilot. It was not in her nature to discuss such personal, and seemingly inconsequential things as feelings, but she had not arrived at any solutions on her own and valued Pilot's insight. "If I open up, I will be left alone. I don't think I am capable of coping with that." 

Pilot closed his eyes for a microt and nodded. _There it was - the problem_, he thought. 

"Did he not try to take you to his home planet when you opened up that wormhole by chance?" Pilot said slowly. 

"He also got me right into a fight with several bountyhunters and got me blinded, Pilot. Do you think that's very considerate?" 

"The question at hand, Aeryn, is do you wish to stay with him? Here on Moya or when he leaves? It is not a question of his consideration." Pilot replied smoothly, too smoothly for Aeryn's liking. 

Aeryn regarded Pilot in amazement, then she swallowed hard. 

"What ... do you mean ... staying with him?" 

"You are a Sebacean, Officer Sun. I am aware that the Sebacean bloodlines have to be kept absolutely pure, and with the small amount of suitable males on board this ship and the possibility never to meet another Sebacean male again, I assume Commander Crichton is the safest bet to support and continue a relationship ..." 

The Sebacean in question stood up hurriedly. She had thought about it many times in the past weekens. Everytime she closed her eyes she had thought about how it would be with ... John. 

_No_, she thought. "No!" she said more purposefully. 

Pilot watched her stern back as she walked out of his chamber. 

If his species had been prone to emotional entanglement, he would have sighed. But without he just closed his eyes for a few microts and turned towards the controls again. 

"Sebaceans and humans ... both so difficult and for so many different reasons," he commented, but only Moya's humming answered him. 

* * *

Aeryn was not angry ... well not with Pilot anyway. Ever since Namtar had fiddled around with her and Pilot's DNA, she had a deeper understanding for Pilot and whatever he did she never would be angry with him, annoyed yes, but not angry. 

She was so deeply immersed in her own thoughts that she almost did not notice Crichton coming down the corridor. When they came up face to face, she saw that he not had had much sleep either. His eyes were shadowed and he looked unwell. 

"Hey..." he said, in a way that clearly told her he didn't want to talk. 

_Very well_, she thought as she was in no mood either. 

"Hey," she said curtly and squeezed herself between the wall and John to pass him. They touched, and for a microt both of them looked at each other. There was so much hurt, so much confusion in both their eyes that they did not notice for how long they stood there. 

"Aeryn..." he whispered and for a moment it looked as if he wanted to reach out his hand and touch her but his hand fell again to his side. 

"So you can't sleep either, huh?" he said by way of masking his own feelings. 

_God, I feel like hell_, he thought. Watching her, taking in every curve of her patriarchic face, he felt this longing again, the urge to belong. And he wanted to belong, he wanted to belong to Aeryn just like for her to belong to him. 

"This is ridiculous!" He exclaimed suddenly and took a step backward, shaking his head. "We are grown up humans .. errr, and Sebaceans, but we're acting like children!" 

Aeryn quirked an eyebrow at him. She was still confused by his sudden moodswings, one microt he was introspective, the next he burst either into energy or was frelling irritating, or often both. 

"What do you mean, Crichton?" Aeryn asked, trying to retain her composure. 

John stared her, then he shook his head. 

"Don't you _Crichton_ me, Aeryn. My name is John, JOHN! Not human, not Erpling - JOHN!" he snapped. "If you've got a problem with me, get it off your chest, Aeryn. If you don't start behaving like a conscious feeling being, I swear I'm gonna ..." he fell flat. 

"What is .._your_ problem, _John_?" The Sebacean asked. "You started this ridiculous argument." Aeryn said, her voice cold and hard. "If _you_ have a problem with _me_, get over it. We're here on Moya together. It is imperative that we get along ..." 

John laughed suddenly. "Yeah sure, we get along," he whispered, while pressing his palms against his swollen eyes. 

_Man, I'm tired_, he thought. _Tired and randy as hell._. His bitter laugh was heartbreaking and more of a sob than an actual laugh. _Why should I mope around like a dweeb? I'm over thirty and behave like a High School kid that's got the hots for the head cheerleader._

"Forget it, Aeryn! Just forget it," he suddenly said, and put more distance between them.  
"I guess I'm just feeling irrational. I need to get some sleep ... sorry." 

"John?" Aeryn was not too sure what to make of this outburst. Sebacean males did not act like John often did, but watching him she saw something of herself in his behavior. Her need for nocturnal roaming of the corridors and tiers of Moya seemed to be the twin to John's own compulsion. She knew that whatever they did, wherever their destiny would lead them in the unchartered territories, their lives were irreversibly connected forever. 

"I'm sorry," she heard herself say, and in that moment she really did feel sorry and compassionate. Sorry for him, for herself and all her inadequacies which obviously put him into so much pain. Her mind and her heart were shouting that she was sorry for not giving in. Except that she couldn't now, nor ever. 

John watched her face, those beautiful grey eyes which were almost dark when she was angry or irritated. Now they were of a peaceful, yet troubled light gray, with slivers of blue and silver in them. He knew it was not easy for her to admit as much. 

_Tread lightly here, Bubba_, he thought but his "Yeah Sure" was sooner spoken than thought. He could have kicked himself for saying it, especially when he saw the hurt in those beautiful eyes of hers. He put his hand on her shoulder, unconsciously rubbing his thumb against the side of her neck, stroking the beating pulse beneath the skin. 

"Look, Aeryn, I'm sorry. I told you I'm not in my right mind. I ... we ... shouldn't be talking like this .. not now, maybe not ever." He shook his head and turned away from her. 

_What the hell am I doing here?_, he thought. _All I want to do is take this stubborn woman, bed her and get on with my ... no, our lives. And yet ... I feel so tired, so tired of battling and arguing with her_. 

"I ... think you are right ..." Aeryn spoke lightly but in the way she took his hand in hers and pulled it off her neck, he sensed she didn't understand him. 

"Good night, John. Sleep well, whenever that will be," she used Zhaan's playful good night's wish but there was no sound of playfulness in there, it reminded John more of a farewell. 

John watched Aeryn go. He was not able to follow her or question her about what she had just meant. He felt so damn tired and numb, that all he could do was stare after her as she walked around a bend of Moya's corridor. 

* * *

Aeryn only stopped by her quarters to pick up her heavy PK flightsuit and helmet and then she made her way down to Moya's transport bay. She needed to get away, to put as much distance between herself and John until she could come to terms with the whole situation. 

Once she had reached her prowler, she put on her suit and she was just about to board her ship, when Pilot's holographic face appeared on one of the monitors. 

"Officer Sun, Moya thinks it is too dangerous to go out in your prowler. We have picked up some unusual solar activities ahead and I do not think it is wise to go out in such conditions..." 

"Pilot, _I_ don't think it is wise to tell me what to do or what not to do. I will take the prowler out!" As an afterthought she added more gently: "But I appreciate both your's and Moya's concern." 

Pilot nodded on the viewscreen and then his image disappeared. 

The prowler flew out and Aeryn banked hard to the right to overtake Moya. She wanted to see those solar activities for herself, even at the risk of facing unusually warm temperatures. Cranking up the revvs of the engine, she enjoyed for the first time in weekens the feeling of absolute freedom and peace. 

Soon she had put the prowler on auto-pilot and was just staring out at the space surrounding her. The small windows of the craft did not show her the full scenery of the vastness of space but the fractured view she did have calmed her troubled heart none the less. 

She was so fully taken in by her thoughts that she at first did not notice the minute light blinking on her console, and when she finally noticed it was too late. 

Something hit her prowler and it immediately went into a spin. Red warning lights were flashing on the boards and the cockpit was filled with smoke and the high ringing, unnerving sound of an emergency klaxon. 

"Pilot, are you reading me?" Aeryn inquired over the comm but only static answered her. She did not feel panic, not overly much but with hasty movements she tried to bring the prowler under her control again - in vain. Another impact made her look outside one of the side port windows and for a moment, she thought she was caught in the Flax again, but she was still able to see the stars outside, only a quarter was blocked out. And then it hit her. She had crashed into an asteroid, and by doing so, the asteroid had disintegrated on impact into smaller debris which was now rocking her craft. 

When she had managed to get her controls working again, the read outs made no real sense at first but after comparing it with what little intel she had gotten from Pilot, it all made sense - somehow. The sun ahead of her was disintegrating and she had been lucky not to hit one of those bigger chunks which still had solar activity. All around small and large asteroids drifted around her, some of them only mildly spinning while others were catapulting away at great speed. With what little manouverability she had left, she managed to dodge the more dangerous ones and tried to find a way back to Moya. But her engines were still out cold, and she was getting deeper and deeper into the gravity pull of the dying sun. 

* * *

John had finally managed to sleep for a couple of arns, and was drifting in the state between waking and sleeping. He had a nice dream, his subconscious had to admit, so he snuggled deeper into what passed as a cushion. He awakened by the sound of Pilot's voice. 

"John, is Officer Sun with you?" he inquired, which confused John in his sleep induced state even more.   
For a moment he wanted to reply in the affirmative, lingering in the dream where he had been alone with Aeryn in this very room, in this very bed. Not arguing in his dream but slowly, deliberately, making love to each other. 

Then he found himself alone in bed, shaking off the last throes of his dream. 

"Errr .. Pilot, no ... Aeryn is not here. Ahh ... Why would you ..." he said but was cut short by Pilot. 

"It seems that Officer Sun has not yet returned from her recces with the prowler and Moya is picking up an anomalous solar disintregation less than ten thousand metras ahead with 1900 Kemps temperature. Moya is not sure if she can withold such temperature, and we do not get any clear readings whether the prowler is out there or not ..." 

John was instantly awake. 

"Pilot, are you telling me, that Aeryn is out there in her prowler? With 1900 Kemps she could already be boiled like a chicken's egg in there..." Diving into a shirt he made his way to Command. 

"Pilot, tell Moya to try picking up Aeryn's prowler, or her comm signal. She must be out there..." 

"I'm sorry, John, but Moya is picking up some repercussions of an explosion which took place earlier. She is not sure if this was due to the solar activity or due to an exploding prowler ..." 

"Then get her on it, Pilot. DO IT!" John yelled. 

Zhaan who had come in meanwhile was watching John's tense back. 

"What is the matter?" she inquired calmly. 

John wheeled around on his heels, facing the Delvian priestess. The look in his eyes shattered the calm Zhaan had felt only microts ago. The pain and the despair was almost material in his eyes and his face. 

"Aeryn?" she asked, twisting her ringed hands. 

"It seems that Officer Sun took her prowler out and got caught in the solar winds of a dying sun. We have not been able to establish contact with her..." Pilot related. 

"Then try again, Pilot. How much further can we go before Moya will experience problems due to the solar drift?" Zhaan was all business now. She would deal with John's pain later - either to comfort or to mourn. 

"Moya says that she will experience major system failures when the temperature rises higher than 2100 Kemps ..." 

"And what is the temperature right now?" She interrupted. 

Pilot looked down on his displays, his image on the holoscreen blurring while doing so. "It appears ... we have just reached the 2100 Kemps mark ... I'm sorry we can only anchor here, that is all Moya can do for the moment." 

John groaned and walked over to the port. The sun seemed so distant but Moya already could feel the drift of the explosions and the solar wind. The scientist in him knew it was suicide to go any further, especially in a living ship, but the man in him - the lover - wanted to go out there and rescue Aeryn. 

_Lover_, he closed his eyes for the moment. _I have never behaved like a lover towards her_, he thought. _A friend, yes, but never the lover, how could I when one moment - _microt, he corrected himself absentmindedly_ - she pulls me close and the next pushes me away?_

Bowing his head low he squeezed his eyes shut. _Yes, I have behaved only like a blind, stubborn and selfish idiot_. His head came up when he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he turned around he saw Zhaan's concerned eyes on him. 

"She will be all right, John. She is a Peacekeeper, she won't give up so easily." the Delvian said and bowed her head slowly till her brow touched John's. 

"She will be all right, John." Zhaan repeated. To Crichton it sounded like a mantra. 

_She will be all right, she will be all right ..._ And everytime he spoke this in his mind, he knew that he could not possibly go on with this life of his if Aeryn Sun was dead. She was his radiant sun ... his home away from home. 

* * *

  


   [1]: mailto:webmaster@farscape-one.de



	2. Singular Connective

Chapter Two - Singular Connective

Ever since the data had _clicked_ with Aeryn, the Ex-Peacekeeper had solemnly put away her helmet and had tried to make herself more comfortable. 

_This is it_, she thought. 

"Of all the things that have happened in my life during the last two cycles I never had thought that I would die the Peacekeeper way - alone..." she said loudly as she tried to get the prowler under her control again. The space craft was bucking to and fro and Aeryn tried her best to keep the craft from crashing into one of the bigger asteroids. 

She could feel the heat of the dying sun, and she knew that only in an arn, perhaps two the temperature would be untolerable for her and the Living Death would ensue. Aeryn had never thought much about dying or death itself. After all, dying was a Peacekeeper's duty. You lived with Death you were surrounded by death from the top of your division, from your regiment down to the unit and team. People died, it was the Peacekeeper way. 

But she wasn't prepared to die ... not yet. There was still so much to be discovered, so much to know about. Aeryn closed her eyes for a short time. 

_It is true, I still have so much to discover and to resolve_, she thought. 

"I won't die," she spoke firmly and with her newly found resolve, she fired up the prowler's remaining aft engine again, trying to find a place to land. 

* * *

Zhaan and D'Argo were watching John in companiable silence, but both were troubled by the visible change that had occured in their friend. Ever since they had found out that Aeryn was gone - probably dead - John's features had dramatically changed. It seemed as if he had aged in only one arn. 

"It was my fault!" John said for the hundredth time and Zhaan and D'Argo had given up long ago to tell him not to blame himself, so they listened to his endless tirade for the umpteenth time. 

"If I hadn't behaved like that stupid - dumb - jackass that I am ... she ... she wouldn't have gotten out in her prowler," he had reached the viewport and turned sharply on his heels. 

"Man, didn't your momma teach you anything, you dweeb?" he asked himself while leaning heavily on one of the control boards. "Damn ... DAMN!!!" After this outburst he grew silent. He was spend from his ranting and the knot that had steadily built up in the pit of his stomach had grown bigger and bigger. Although his throat was dry he felt tears welling up and with a impatient wipe of his hand he covered his eyes. 

D'Argo shifted slightly beside Zhaan, but she held him back with small pull on his shoulder. She heaved a sigh and went over to John. 

"John, you are no help if you incriminate yourself. That doesn't help the situation and it surely does not help Aeryn out there. We have to devise a plan." 

"A plan?" John asked, his voice full of sarcasm. "Zhaan, what do you think I'm doing here, huh? I'm _devising_ a plan!" To emphasize he made little quoting motions with his hands. 

Zhaan shook her head and took his hands into her own blue ones. 

"What you are doing, John, is self-recrimination, not planning. You are not alone in this. We all want Aeryn back, and together we will find a way to get to her in time..." 

"Yeah, sure, Blue. And I'm the King of England ..." John snapped and squeezed his eyes shut.   
_Man, I can't take it anymore. If Aeryn is dead, I have myself to blame. She went off because of me_. 

John took a deep breath and shook himself mentally. _Think John,_ he thought. _There must be a planet - something - on her route. Aeryn will not die!_

"Pilot!" he all of a sudden yelled. "Tell Moya to scan her databanks if she finds a planet or something in this area. If there is a sun, there must be planets, moons - ANYTHING!" 

"John Crichton, Moya tells me that there are two planets in the close vicinity which appear to circle the dying sun, both planets are uninhabitated but it seems Moya has found some information about a Peacekeeper installation. But she does not have enough data on it. It could be that the base was abandoned when the techs discovered the sun is dying." Pilot said and looked down on John and the others with concern. 

"What ..._kind_ of PK base are we talking about here?" John inquired hoarsely, as he remembered the Gammak Base of a while back. 

"It appears a ... Gammak Base was installed there, John Crichton." 

"Thank you Pilot," John said and hung his head. _Not another damn' Gammak Base_, he thought. 

D'Argo and Zhaan exchanged a look with each other, both only too well aware of the anguish their friend was going through. John closed his eyes and he felt as if a cold, deadly hand made a grab at his heart. He forced great gulps of air into his lungs and still he got the feeling he was not getting enough air. 

* * *

The prowler cut smoothly first through the ionosphere and then through the atmosphere of the planet. Aeryn manoeuvered it through a thick layer of clouds till she could make out the surface below. It was an ice planet and for a short moment she remembered something, John had told her not so long ago, something about an ice planet in a film or whatever the human expression was. This planet sure was like this _Hoth_ thing he had been talking about. 

She landed the prowler without a problem and when she had opened the canopy cold air hit her with full force. Aeryn gasped when ice-cold needles hit her lungs and she quickly ducked back into the cockpit again. Apart from her flightsuit, she had no covering and clothing with her. 

Quickly, she checked the batteries of the life-support system and took her helmet. Checking the system again, she put the helmet on, sealed it and made her way out of the craft. After a few meters she was grateful the visor of her helmet was made from black plastic. Even through the almost dark visor, the snow was too white and too brilliant to look at unprotected. 

She just hoped that the batteries of her suit would hold out till she had reached a settlement, anything, otherwise she would be dead in a few arns due to the cold. Trudging through the heavy snow, the audio sensors of her helmet powered up to the highest, she made her way South. 

Soon she had found road tracks which appeared to be made by Peacekeepers. Squatting down into the snow, she raised her visor und examined the tracks. Immediately she noticed the tell tale signs of ground ops vehicles in the heavy snow. 

"Just my luck," she breathed and straightened herself, while putting the visor down. Continuing her hike, she came upon a bend in the road, flanked by two huge snowdrifts. Over the wind she was able to make out bits and pieces of her Sebacean mother tongue and she quickly scrambled up one of the drifts to her left. 

Just around the corner heavy gates shielded a facility, Aeryn only knew too well. When she had been 20 cycles old her regiment had been transferred to one of the penal colonies on Onorak. It had been her first tour of duty and the conditions in the camp had been disastrous. Aeryn shuddered at the thought. Only two cycles ago she would have looked upon such things as normal and usual, feeling not touched by it, but now she felt for the poor unfortunate creatures down there. 

_My old life feels like a lifetime ago,_ she thought while she scanned the area and noted silently where the guards were. _Can I pull it off?_ she berated herself silently. _Can I just walk in there in my old Peacekeeper stance and demand spare parts on my prowler so I can return to my division?_

She closed her eyes for a moment, then shook herself mentally. "I can do it," she whispered and raised to her feet. 

With each step her posture changed, soon she was striding in the confident trot of the Peacekeepers down the snow drift and towards the guard who was eyeing her under his shield closely. 

"Greetings, Peacekeeper," he greeted her, his rifle nudging up an inch or two, getting ready. 

"Leftenant," Aeryn said and raised her visor. "My unit has been on patrol on the perimeter of the dying sun, but my prowler had technical problems - I need some spare parts." 

"Your unit, division, rank and regiment, Peacekeeper, you know the drill!" the Peacekeeper said, rising the rifle an inch higher pointing at Aeryn's heart. 

Aeryn smiled. _They sure don't get sloppy out here_, she thought and nodded. 

"Officer Aeryn Sun, Icarion Division, Pleisar Regiment. Would you care to take me to your commanding officer .." she let her voice trail away, leaving it up to him to see it as an order or a request. 

"Aeryn Sun?" The Peacekeeper inquired and something in his stance made Aeryn suspicious. The smoothness with which he had repeated her name bespoke of some familiarity with her name. 

"Hand over your weapons, traitor!" The Sebacean demanded and jammed the muzzle of his rifle square flat against Aeryn's front. From the corner of her eyes she saw two more Peacekeepers coming their way. 

_Frelling dren!_, Aeryn thought frantically. _How could I have been so careless?_ Her mind raced and for a moment she really considered Crichton's way, to talk herself out of the situation, but then her instincts as a Peacekeeper took over. Gripping the muzzle of the rifle, she shoved it to one side while she graced the bearer of the gun with a quick pantak jab. Pulse rifle fire was already all around her and with a quick dive behind the Peacekeeper lying on the ground, she took aim. 

From all sides Peacekeepers were swarming to the site of the battle and Aeryn soon found herself seriously outnumbered. One of the pulse fire had hit her left shoulder, leaving a badly smelling flesh wound behind. She was trying to crouch behind the dead Peacekeeper who had been hit by his comrades, and tried to calm her thoughts. 

_Think Aeryn, think, you frelling tralk!_ she told herself but her mind raced and at first it did not even register with her that the fire had ceased. 

"Aeryn Sun, cease fire and hand yourself over!" Aeryn knew the voice but she couldn't quite place it. She dared a look at the Peacekeeper who had spoken and her gaze immediately fell on the regimental insignia on the man's neck. 

_Of all the frelling planets she had to choose the one planet that her old regiment was stationed on!_ she thought as she raised the rifle above her head and then threw it onto the ground in front of the Peacekeeper. 

Holding her hands behind her head, she stood there in the snow and quickly, the others moved in on her. Another voice she was familiar with, rasped: "Check her boot!" and she could feel hands touching and feeling up and down her boots and legs. 

_No knife_, Aeryn thought and could have kicked herself for not taking it with her. But then this little campaign wasn't at all what had been on her mind when she had left Moya in the first place. _Never leave without a knife in your boot - first Peacekeeper rule_, she thought and almost laughed. She had come a long way since then. 

* * *

John was bending over some starmaps Pilot had cared to give him. What little they knew from the system, there were only two possible planets Aeryn could land and now it was up to him to decide which planet they'd chose first to look for her. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and tried to clear his mind. _What would Aeryn do?_ he asked himself. _She, the Peacekeeper?_ - EX _Peacekeeper_, he reminded himself. 

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not notice D'Argo joining him. The big Luxan sat down beside him, studying the star maps in front of John. There, they sat in silence both deeply in their own thoughts. 

"Aeryn would probably pick the old Peacekeeper base," D'Argo said. "If anything happened to her prowler it would be the first thing to do - procuring spare parts ..." 

John's head snapped up and for a moment he watched the Luxan intendly. 

"Crossed my mind as well, big guy," he said and pushed the star charts to one side. "Then again, she wouldn't know about the Base, she is out of that whole bandwagon for two cycles now..."   
D'Argo hesitated for a moment almost urged to ask him what _Baandwaggan_ was supposed to mean but he let it rest. Whatever it meant, John's assertion of the situation was probably right. 

"So what do you think we should do?" The Luxan inquired, giving John the chance to make a decision although their time was running out. 

"We take the planet nearest the sun, if Aeryn made it there, she needs our help pronto!" John said firmly and stood up. "Is the pod ready?" 

"As ready as it can be, John," D'Argo replied and both made their way to the maintenance bay. 

* * *

They were all there, well, those who had survived the new operations her old regiment had been send to over the last two cycles. With satisfaction she noticed that only two new faces had replaced the familiar faces of those who had been killed. Aeryn was shoved into one of the bunkers that was leading to the main division of the penal camp. Her former brother in arms and one time bed sharer Kentak had taken point and Aeryn was staring at his irate back as he led her to the main room. 

"In!" he ordered and gave her another shove. _Seems he likes to push me around_, Aeryn thought bitterly as she stumbled into a brightly lit room where bunks had been pushed together around an old stove. It all seemed so makeshift to her, as if they were preparing to leave soon. The walls were stripped bare and huge storage crates were standing all around the big room. 

Aeryn knew the meaning, they were preparing to leave when she had so foolishly stumbled in on them. According to her estimation, they would leave in one day, in two if the weather wasn't holding. _Frelling dren_, she thought. 

"Sit down, traitor!" Kentak hissed and emphasised his order with a quick punch into her kidneys. Aeryn almost jackknived but she tried to keep her composure, _Never ever show your weakness in the eye of the enemy!_. 

"I wouldn't have guessed, Kentak," she snapped and breathed out softly, letting the pain surge through her body and then out of her system. _Aeryn, don't over do it,_ she reminded herself and she smirked. _As if I could teach them any new tricks, they know the drill_. 

The others had fanned out into the room, some of them taking off their helmets and sitting down on the makeshift beds. Only two other Peacekeepers beside Kentak guarded her with their weapons pointed dead center on her head. They had taken off their helmets and Aeryn was able to see their faces - Lts. Brennun and Ashareq. Both of them had been with the Pleisar Regiment from day one, she had been at boot camp with them and especially with Ashareq she had shared a friendship, her being the only other female on the team beside Aeryn at that time. 

Aeryn could see the hatred in their eyes and she figured Crais had not been all too easy on them after her desertion. More than one battle scar was obvious in their faces and that one of the elite regiments of the Peacekeepers was doing penal colony duty was telling her a lot. She knew they would not be too happy to have her on their hands. 

One of the Peacekeepers whom Aeryn didn't know came into the room, marching purposefully toward Kentak and his prisoner.   
"They are on their way, twenty arns max," he said and Aeryn furrowed her brow. _Who would be here?_ she asked herself but was pulled out of her reverie when Kentak pushed her forward. 

Ashareq grabbed her and shoved her into an adjoining room, there she had to strip out of her flighsuit. When Aeryn straightened, Ashareq had walked up to her and raised her hand. Out of sheer instinct Aeryn counteracted the punch and shoved the Peacekeeper away from her. Both women stared at each other, measuring each other with trained senses. Suddenly, Ashareq shook her head and slumped into one of the chairs near the door. 

"How could you do it, Aeryn?" she rasped and buried the face in her hands. "How could you defy Crais and not think about us, your friends and regiment?" 

Aeryn Sun watched her former friend and she knew out of familiarity she should offer comfort, but then she was the prisoner and Ash was her gaoler. Slowly, Aeryn sat down on the ground and tried to calm herself. 

"You are right in what ever you hand me, Ash," she said, deliberately using the old endearment. "But Crais never gave me a chance. I was _not_ irreversibly conterminated but Crais never listened..." 

"You took an oath to obey your commanding officer, Aeryn," Ashareq said and looked up. "You were brought up the Peacekeeper way, your duty ..." 

"My duty? Ash, my duty is to stay alive. Crais never gave me that chance. Do you really think that it contaminates me if I talk to one of the so-called _lesser lifeforms_? Or that you will get contaminated being together in the same room with me? I was a Peacekeeper, it was bred into my blood but I can be more than that, much more ..." Aeryn came over to Ash, squatting in front of her friend. "All I ever believed was turned upside down when I looked behind the Peacekeeper mask, Ash. I have friends who showed me that there is more..." 

Ashareq's head snapped up and she stared down at Aeryn in disgust. "Friends like that _Human_ there've been talk about? Aeryn Sun, you are indeed contaminated." 

Aeryn closed her eyes and she wondered if she had seem so stubborn as well at first. _I indeed was and still am_, she thought and shook her head. 

"His name is John, not human, Ash, and he is one of the most giving beings I have ever met. He offered me the chance Crais never offered me ..." she said slowly, a faint smile touching her lips. 

Ash watched her former friend, most of what she had told her, was too much for her to understand but she had picked up the tell-tale signs of someone being emotionally entangled. She had been present, when Aeryn had been the companion to Velorek but even then she had not talked about him like she just had about that alien. Ash had heard tales about this _Human_ - he had defied Scorpius and the Aurora Chair, had killed Larraq and countless others. It pained her that her former friend had obviously given up her life as a Peacekeeper for him. 

Ashareq stood up and nudged a pile of clothes with her boots which lay in one corner near the door. "You better use one of these, Kentak thinks it best to put you with the penals until they arrive ..." 

"Who will arrive, Ash?" Aeryn asked, scrambling to her feet. 

"Scorpius ... and his men," the answer reverberated in the room and also inside Aeryn's mind. 

* * *

John and D'Argo had landed near a stream on the deserted planet and were now wandering around a small clearing, setting up the beacon, with Moya functioning as satelite connection, as John had called it, they were able to triangulate Aeryn's homing beacon if she had landed on planet. 

After almost an arn, with no luck on the beacon both men stared at each other for a short moment. 

"The Gammak Base," D'Argo stated and John nodded. Clearing his throat, he stood up where he had been squatting and put away their equipment. 

_Of all the planets, Aeryn ... of all the planets!_ he thought and shook his head. He felt bile rising in his throat and the feeling of nausea was overwhelming. 

"John, I can go there, let's not ..." D'Argo started but was silenced by John. 

"Let's not what? Let's not continue looking for Aeryn, is that it? If that base is still manned even you'll need a deficient man like me to cover your back, big guy..." He shook his head. "It's okay, I can handle it, it's Aeryn down there and even if she was a Peacekeeper, she isn't anymore and I don't want to think about what she's going through if they find out ... _IF_ the Base is still manned." 

Together they hauled their equipment inside the transport pod and made their ways towards the PK Base. Halfway on their route to the planet, D'Argo took out a heavy Peacekeeper Commando coat from the back. 

"Zhaan thought, we probably need this. If the Base is still manned, you will play the Sebacean Captain who is transporting the dangerous Luxan warrior," D'Argo stated and sat down beside John again, taking over the controls. 

John took a deep breath and murmured, "What ever you say, big guy," and stood up. Crichton shook out the heavy leather duster and held it at arm's length. _God, how I hate this pretence_, he thought as he slipped into the coat. A perfect fit, like most of the Peacekeeper issues. 

Turning back towards D'Argo he watched the Luxan for a long time. He was grateful that his friend had accompanied him without being asked. After all, he felt that it was his duty alone to get Aeryn back. Over the last two cycles their little motley crew had formed a family. Even Rygel and Chiana had fit in somehow and he didn't feel as alien anymore as in the beginning. He had to be grateful for a lot of things, especially the undemanding friendship of the Luxan. 

John closed his eyes for a moment and tried to breathe evenly. He was scared, he had to admit, not only for Aeryn's well being but also because he had to enter yet another Gammak Base. He just hoped that Aeryn was all right. She had to be! 

* * *

Aeryn had slipped into the Special Ops Peacekeeper vest and jacket as it was the far warmest and sturdiest of the pile of PK issue clothes they had given her. It felt somehow like home to wear the Peacekeeper uniform again but Aeryn did not like what it stood for, and she knew that the prisoners in the camp would also know what it stood for. Her shoulder needed medical help, but she doubted her ex-crewmates would offer any help. 

Aeryn groaned when the heavy jacket scrapped against her injured shoulder and she tried to pad it. They came for her then, the new regiment members and Kentak. Without a word, they grabbed her and Aeryn tried to pay back for all she was worth but soon the jabs and punches had demanded their due. Aeryn blacked out and was dragged into the prisoner camp. 

Kentak watched the still form and smirked. "That'll serve you right, Aeryn Sun," he spit out before he turned his back and made for the warmth of the crew quarters. 

The handful of prisoners stared at the Peacekeeper silently, only now and then a whisper broke the stillness that had settled in their camp. A young boy, perhaps only 12 cycles old, stepped closer, but before he had reached Aeryn's still form, he was yanked back by an old Illanic. 

"Leave that alone, Jo'Thee," he spat and pulled the young boy back. The young boy looked back and then shook his head. 

"She could be hurt, Peacekeepers don't treat their kind like this - what if she isn't a Peacekeeper?" he said and pulled free from the old Illanic's grasp. Quickly he moved over and squatted down beside Aeryn. She was moaning and trying to push herself up onto her elbows. 

"You okay, Peacekeeper?" Jo'Thee inquired, twitching like an animal ready to pounce or flee. Aeryn shook her head to clear her mind then focused her eyes on the boy. First, she thought it was a trick of her mind, but even after she had squeezed her eyes shut several times, the image of a young Luxan did not go away. 

"Jo'Thee?" she inquired, immediately chiding herself for such a foolish thought. _That could not be Jo'Thee. D'Argo had said he was up for a slave auction some place else than here in the uncharted territories,_ she told herself. 

The young Luxan was taken aback and slumped down on the ground. "How ... how do you know my name?" He rasped, his tentacles shivering around his still plump, child-like face. 

Now it was Aeryn's turn to look dumb-founded. She pushed herself into a sitting position and brushed the snow off her clothes. 

"Your name is really Jo'Thee, young Luxan?" she asked and the child nodded solemnly. Aeryn looked up when she saw a figure putting his wrinkled hands on the young Luxan's shoulders. 

"Come Jo'Thee, we do not want to contaminate this pure Sebacean..." the Illanic said gruffly and pulled the youngster to his feet. Aeryn extended her hand like she had seen John doing it so many time by way of greeting and the Illanic stared at her outstretched hand. 

"My name is Aeryn Sun," she stated and stood up, still extending her hand. 

"A Peacekeeper!" The Illanic said and spat out in front of her. "Come, Jo'Thee, leave her be." 

"But she's nice, and if she's here with us, she can't be one of them. She might look like a Peacekeeper, but look at her ..." He pointed at her bruised face with one hand. 

"Mundragh, get that boy under control, or ..." someone bellowed and a Yenen with the typical tattoes on his face stepped forward. 

"Or what?" Aeryn inquired and stepped between the Zenetan pirate and the young boy. The Yenen looked at her, then snorted. 

"What is this Luxan bantling to you, Peacekeeper? He's not even of your kind." 

"He is Luxan, that is good enough for me!" Aeryn answered. The Yenen quirked an eyebrow then smirked. 

"Suit yourself, Peacekeeper!" he said and walked off. Jo'Thee had followed their conversation with greatest interest. He had seen a lot of Peacekeepers in his life time but no one had stood up for him except for his Sebacean mother and this female Peacekeeper. 

When the others, even Mundragh, had left, the young Luxan stepped closer. He looked up expectantly into Aeryn's face. Aeryn noticed his stare and rubbed her hands. 

"We better find a fire, young Luxan," she stated and walked off with a limb to one of the big drums burning brightly with a bonfire. When she had reached the figures huddled around it, some stood up and turned towards her. 

"You're not welcome Peacekeeper!" one hissed but Aeryn only quirked an eyebrow. Wordlessly she led Jo'Thee towards the fire and squatted down beside him. Either her Peacekeeper demeanour or the fact that she was caring for Jo'Thee, impressed the prisoners and let her be. 

"Are you a Peacekeeper?" Jo'Thee asked after a while, and Aeryn shook her head in reply. 

"I was once, but not anymore. I live on a leviathan with others..." her voice trailed away. _Shall I tell him that I know his father? But what if Jo'Thee is not D'Argo's son?_ she asked herself. _What would John do?_ the thought crossed her mind easily and she had to smile. _He would probably jump the rifle_, she told herself silently, having the nagging feeling she had gotten the saying all wrong again. 

_John, where are you when I need you most?_ she asked herself and a smile played around the corners of her mouth. Jo'Thee had watched the woman. She reminded him of his mother although he had only a clouded memory of her, but the foster parents who had tried to hide him from the Peacekeepers had told him a lot about her, so he had some kind of reference even if it was blurred. 

"You are Sebacean, right? My mother was one," Jo'Thee stated and was surprized when Aeryn Sun was staring at him indeed open mouthed. 

* * *

  



	3. One And One Squares Nil

Chapter Three - One And One Squares Nil

The transport was cutting through the blackness of space with all possible speed. Moya was anchoring too near the planet with the Gammak Base, and with all the luck turning bad in the past weekens, John had the mild suspicion that the Base was still manned. He didn't want to threaten Moya's safety one bit. 

_Who am I kidding here?_ he thought to himself. _I feel the rattlers and it's not a good sign! And I've Aeryn to think of, what if she ran into PK's which were under Crais' command? Would they recognise and harm her?_

John rubbed his eyes wearily with one hand and sighed. _Man, no use to think about WHAT could happen_, he reminded himself, first of all they had to find Aeryn and work from there. 

D'Argo seemed to be dozing beside him but John was certain, the Luxan was already making a plan, going through all possible set-ups for getting Aeryn back on Moya. The Human was glad, he had the Luxan with him, this way, he would not be prone to stumble into some sort of Fort Alamo scenario - hopefully. 

In unison they had agreed to return to Moya in order to make plans. But first they had to determine, whether the base was manned or not. John was about to take a quick dive over the planet, when Pilot's voice was coming over the comm. 

"John?" he inquired and Crichton let out a short "Yeah, Pilot". 

"John, it appears that a command carrier is heading into this vicinity. Moya thinks that the carrier will be reaching the star system in approximately 15 arns." Pilot's voice seemed calm but there was an undertone of fear in it. 

"Can Moya determine what kind of Command Carrier it is?" John asked and watched D'Argo listening intendly. 

"At this point, no ..." Pilot answered, hesitating slightly. "Moya and I think that we have approximately 8 arns before they can detect us - at the moment the solar activity is covering our presence here." 

"Thanks, Pilot, we keep that in mind," D'Argo said and stared at John. "Shall we take a quick look around? If we find the base empty we do not need the others, we just pick up Aeryn and that's it," he said. 

The rattlers were more evident than ever but not heeding their warning, John nodded, "Downside, big guy!" 

* * *

Albeit unknown to D'Argo and John, Aeryn _prayed_ that her crewmates were not looking for her. Her ex-crewmembers of the Icarion Company, Pleisar Regiment had been restless and more than once one or two had strolled along and singled her out. She could take it, so much was sure, but she had to protect Jo'thee as well and she didn't want to draw more attention to the young Luxan as she already had. 

She cautiously touched her shoulder and whinced when her examining fingers touched the bruises and open wound. She hung her head for a moment to catch her breath. _If I make it out of here, I'll take a long soaking warm bath_, she thought and a fleeting smile touched her split lips. 

She was pulled out of her reverie when she noticed that Kentak was coming their way, swinging one of the shorter jinka poles in his hand non-chalantly. Aeryn tensed momentarily, then relaxed and tucked the old sheet around the young Luxan who was sleeping beside her, oblivious to the danger coming their way. She crouched and moved a bit further away from Jo'Thee when she met the Illanics icy stare. The old man was huddled in one corner, shivering at the cold. 

"You could have fooled me, Peacekeeper, but you truly care for the child," he muttered and both paused, silently communicating their understanding. 

"I'll do anything to keep him safe and return him to his father," Aeryn whispered and stood up. Kentak had already opened the door, motioning her forward. 

"Peacekeeper?" Aeryn stilled herself when she heard the Illanics' voice. "May the gods be with you ..." 

Aeryn inclined her head once then stepped over to where Kentak was standing. She noticed he had been drinking, his breath reeking of Fellip nectar and other alcoholic beverages. 

Bloodshed eyes tried to focus on Aeryn, but Kentak had drunk too much. He wasn't even sure why he had summoned her outside the camp, only the urge to punish her for all the things that had been done to him in the last two cycles were too strong to be ignored. Something snapped right there, he raised the jinka pole and struck down on Aeryn. 

She had seen it coming, had prepared herself for this but the heavy snow beneath her boots made her movements more sluggish. She ducked and wanted to turn her injured shoulder away, but the snow made her movements less than nimble. The jinka pole crashed down onto her left shoulder, momentarily taking her by surprise. 

Aeryn jackknived but tried to scramble out of his reach. Momentarily, she could only see bright light as the pain surged through her body, her soul, her whole self. Gathering her thoughts and focusing them away from the pain, she applied an upward jab to Kentak's abdomen, increasing the distance between herself and her opponent. 

"You have been exercising, Aeryn ... good!" Kentak grinned viciously as he held his free hand to his stomach. 

"Kentak, don't do this. You know you cannot win in the state you are in!" Aeryn sneered and readied for more. With effort she raised to her full height, breathing through her mouth and trying to ignore the flames of pain in her left side. 

Kentak smiled, then shook his head. "You know, I really thought we were friends, but the first chance you get you balk. That is not the Peacekeeper way, traitor," he wheezed and attacked again. 

Aeryn reacted purely on instinct, she dispelled all memory of Kentak, her friend and brother in arms, the only image she considered worth remembering was this drunk Peacekeeper who attacked her. The kicks and strikes came in quick succession and with all Frellip Nectar induced Sebaceans, Kentak soon slowed down. He was lucky, Aeryn was not fighting him with all her might. If she had been alone, had not to consider the other prisoners, especially not Jo'Thee, she would have killed him, or being killed herself by trying. Kentak's face was only a bloody pulp when she heard someone coming up behind her and she raised her hands over her head to show the Peacekeeper that she was unarmed and willing to surrender. 

"Get up, Aeryn," Ash's voice had an eerie ring in the snow-filled air. Slowly, Aeryn rose from Kentak's body and turned around slowly, facing her former friend. 

"You could have killed him ..." Ash stated and waited for an explanation. Aeryn shook her head. 

"So you have a chance to get rid of me comfortably? Not a chance, Ash!" Aeryn rasped, the rush of the adrenaline of the fight still surging through her body though it was lessening and she could feel the pain as well, dull at first but slowly increasing. 

Ash nodded. "You are right, we would have killed you. But then we would be in even deeper dren as we are in right now. Scorpius is in orbit and he wants to see you unharmed." 

A shudder went through Aeryn's body, grasping her heart with an unrelenting fist. _Scorpius_, the name filled her with dread. She knew what this beast was capable of, she had seen John almost broken and torn from his experience in the Aurora Chair. 

Ash had motioned with her rifle to the gate behind which the prisoners were held. Silently, she walked Aeryn to them and locked her in. Aeryn grabbed the fence with both her hands and watched Ashareq. When the Peacekeeper was about to turn and see to her commanding officer, Ashareq raised her mitted hand to the fence and lightly touched Aeryn's hand. 

"He will be here shortly, Aeryn. So gather your strength..." she simply stated before she walked off and hauled Kentak to his feet. 

Aeryn closed her eyes and her forehead touched the ice-cold steel of the fence. 

* * *

The pod was flying low over the landscape, almost touching the snowdrifts when D'Argo was too slow to raise the craft. They had started in the Northern parametre of the planet, eventually widening their search pattern to the Southern hemisphere as well. A bleep on the controls told them that the base was only a couple of hundred metras further away from their current position. 

Also another bleep was appearing on the view screen and after a quick check, John frowned. 

"Pilot, when was it the command carrier is supposed to arrive?" he asked into the combadge and after a while Pilot's voice wavered over to them. 

"The command carrier is still five arns away but it appears two prowlers have been issued and they are advancing quickly toward the planet's surface..." 

"Thanks for telling us, Pilot," John answered sarcastically and shot D'Argo a glance. 

"We should go back to Moya and device a plan, John," D'Argo said. John noticed that even the Luxan had come a long way - only two arns ago D'Argo would have charged into the base and would have taken on every single Peacekeeper in and above the base ... but not anymore. D'Argo had his own agenda now, finding and protecting his son Jo'Thee. John had wondered over the last two cycles how much he and his friends had changed, all of them had one or more skeletons in their closets but they had formed some sort of gung-ho hate to love kind of family. Devising a plan, coming from D'Argo told him they had all changed. 

John nodded and carefully picked a flightcorridor far away from the advancing prowlers. He knew he could not do anything without the support of the others and it would have been sheer madness and suicide to go after Aeryn right now. Still, the thought of her being down there in this ice-cold hell made his stomach churn. _And all because you couldn't keep your mouth shut, John Robert IDIOT Crichton_, he berated himself silently. 

* * *

Scorpius walked through the snow towards the fence. He was close to happy, not too happy but content that he had the means to get John Crichton finally into his hands again. When the call had come from this godforsaken planet with its dying sun, he had felt a surge of excitement coarsing through his body, a feeling that he had only felt when he had questioned John. He even had to take a tranquilizer - something which was unheard of of the Scarren. 

In a few arns time his equipment would arrive and until then he wanted to see for himself that these Peacekeeper grunts indeed had captured Aeryn Sun, traitor and irreversible contaminated defector. 

Niem shivered beside him and he shot her glance, nodding quietly and the female made her way back to the barracks. Scorpius on the other hand advanced towards the fence and his eyes darted from one prisoner to the other. His gaze completely mesmerized, he watched the Sebacean woman with her long dark pony tail and the heavy Peacekeeper Special Ops uniform who had stepped quietly and simply into his line of vision. A young Luxan bantling was hiding behind her and she had encircled his shoulders protectively. Scorpius grinned. 

_Aeryn Sun, defector, and traitor, is in my hands!_ he told himself before he swung around and made his way quickly to the barracks. 

"Who was that? He looks scary!" Jo'Thee whispered and Aeryn looked down on him. 

"He is a Scarren, a half-breed. Stay away from him!" she demanded more harshly than she had intended. Aeryn bend over to meet the young Luxan's gaze. "I mean it, Jo'Thee. If this man will come toward you - RUN!" 

"And why did you look at him? You didn't seem to be scared?" Jo'thee asked confused. 

"Because I know that he wants me, it is simple as that. I'm scared but if I show him that, it would give him the ultimate victory. You should heed my advice, young Luxan. There's a time for being brave and there's a time for being sensible. And I'm sensible enough to be frelling scared." Aeryn herself mused about her words. Two arns ago she would have not been sensible enough, she would have bravely challenged Scorpius in her old Peacekeeper way, but not anymore. 

The young Sebacean shook her head at her silent reverie. _John was right, I can be much more,_ she thought and a faint smile crept on her lips. _Without realizing it I've changed a great deal, thanks to my friends. I never thought that this was possible - to find friends I'd kill and die for._

* * *

John was packing enough cartridges into the pockets of his leather coat as to keep Winona and Naomi busy for more than five arns. When they had returned to Moya, the first thing John had done was to go into Aeryn's cell and get the sidearm. He had never used it, but had watched Aeryn and was fairly sure with a bit of practice he was able to master the gun. 

_Shut up, Johnny boy, practice and time is not something you exactly have_, he had told himself and had given D'Argo the gun. Since then, Crichton had stashed Chakhan oil filled cartridges into his pockets and his eyes dashed to and fro for more ammo. He didn't want to run out of ammunition, but on the other hand, if they wanted to fool the Peacekeepers to get in and out of the base, they shouldn't appear to be too loaded with ammo. 

John sighed and hesitated for a moment, letting the rattlers coming to the surface again. They had agreed that he should pose as a PK Captain, while D'Argo was his prisoner. Zhaan and Chiana were supposed to be hiding in the cargo hold of the pod and wait till it was night to go looking for Aeryn. 

_I just hope it all goes smoothly,_ John told himself and squeezed his eyes shut. _I have to keep my head level, then nothing will happen - yeah right as if ..._ his reverie was disturbed when he heard a different voice inside his head. 

Scorpius smiled at John and opened his arms as in greeting. 

"Ah John, so good to see you again - do you feel lonely?" Scorpius let out a chuckle and leant against the side of the pod where John was standing. 

"Go away, Scorpy, I don't need you here," John muttered under his breath and tried to turn away, but somehow he couldn't - every time Scorpius' unwanted visits happened he had the urge to hear him out. 

"But John, you know that we are not enemies, I'm here to help you. Talk to Uncle Scorpius, let me hear little Johnny's woes and aches," Scorpius grinned, or better he grimaced so that it could pass for a grin. 

John smirked and shook his head. "Scorpy ... go away! I don't need you right now, just leave!" 

Scorpius bowed his head in mock reference and as he was about to turn, he looked John straight into the eye. 

"Don't believe, you can get rid of me that easily, John. I'm with you always and as a matter of fact, you are mine, you just don't know it yet! And sooner or later that Peacekeeper defector will be mine as well. In fact, I only have to extend my hand and she will join me in the Aurora Chair ..." 

With this Scorpius disappeared and John's blood turned cold. 

* * *

"John?" Zhaan had entered the transport bay and now watched John silently. Crichton turned and shot her a small weak smile. 

"I guess I let the situation carry away with me," he said, rolling his shoulders. 

"Was it Scorpius?" Zhaan inquired and Crichton nodded, his softly breathed "Yeah," conveying the pain he felt deeply inside of himself. 

Zhaan had put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. 

"We will find her, John and we will find a way to battle Scorpius," she spoke in earnest, but he doubted that her little mantra was going to work, especially on the latter half. 

"Yes, Zhaan, we will," he whispered and bent over to place a soft kiss onto her forehead. 

Turning away he squeezed his eyes shut. _Liar!_ he told himself and checked his guns. 

* * *

When the Peacekeepers brought her into what seemed like a clean lab room, a feeling of terror surged through Aeryn's body. She had been here before, when she had rescued John from Scorpius at the secret Gammak Base. In a room like this, she had seen Captain Crais, strapped to, bound and broken in the Aurora Chair and she had submitted her former captain to his memories of deceit and murder. 

_This is it, then,_ she thought and while the Peacekeepers, her old regiment even, shoved her in front of the chair, laughter rose in her. 

"Move it, traitor," Kentak hissed and gave her another shove so that she stumbled to the ground. Looking up, Aeryn stared at Kentak and the others. 

_If I had been in their shoes, would I have reacted the same way they did? Would I voluntarily put myself into the command of Scorpius to fullfill some misdirected hatred for an ex crewmember?_ Aeryn knew the answer, her journey through the uncharted territories had changed her. Perhaps she had been irreversably contaminated before she had met John and the others by chance, perhaps she had always been different. 

"Do you really think, you can intimidate me, Kentak?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and the man had the grace to avert her gaze. 

_Ah, there was still something from the old Kentak deep inside of him, gentle, almost loving Kentak, who mourned all of their fallen comrades after a battle_, Aeryn thought but she was led to revoke her assessment of the man when he butted his rifle into her kidneys. 

"Believe it or not, traitor, but if I had any say in this you would be dead where you stand!" he hissed and with a nod of his head he ordered the others to take Aeryn. "But Scorpius wants you alive!" 

Aeryn would have laughed if she had been able to muster up the strength to do it, but her mind was still numb from the cold on this icy planet and it had left her with little of what was left of her wonderful Sebacean stamina. 

The door opened with an audible hiss and all but one turned to look at the new arrival. Aeryn did not look his way, avoiding his sight as long as she was able to do. John's nemesis, Scorpius, had entered the room. 

"Officer Kentak, Special Peacekeeper Commando, Icarian Company, Pleisar Regiment. We have found the traitor." Kentak reported while Aeryn watched him from the corner of her eyes. 

She invisibly shook her head. She could not believe that her former comrade in arms behaved the way he did in the presence of the Scarren. So much pain had been caused by him, so much pain issued. Aeryn closed her eyes for a microt. _He doesn't know, he is still the happy little Peacekeeper_, she thought, unconsciously using one of John's Earth expressions. 

The Scarren's voice pulled her out of her reverie and her head snapped up when her former crewmates released her. 

"Officer Kentak, I see that Officer Sun is badly hurt, I hope for you and your unit that you are not responsible for that?" Scorpius inquired. 

Kentak blanched visibly and Aeryn felt a twinge of regret and pity for him. Like the Peacekeeper commando around her, she tensed, her instincts kicking in as she readied herself for a fight. 

She smirked and visibly relaxed. _This isn't my fight - not yet!_

She could feel the tension rising in the room but all of a sudden Scorpius declined his head and nodded. Relief swept over the Peacekeepers that they were dismissed that easily. 

Silence lay heavily on the room like a Sebacean death shroud and it seemed to lenghten with every microt that passed. Aeryn met the Scarren's gaze and shuddered. In this instant, Aeryn knew why Crichton had been so distant to her and the others. This man - this beast - was sheer terror. 

"I greet you in my humble abode, Officer Sun," Scorpius said and stepped closer. To see her in real for the first time since the Royal planet, gave him a strange sensation. He had seen so much of her from afar, especially when he had probed John Crichton's mind, that he was quite looking forward to meeting and of course, questioning her up close. 

Aeryn on the other hand did not look forward to be questioned by him. She had seen Scorpius' victims and she was not sure if she could withstand him as well as John had - and even he had not come away unscathed. 

"You are an exceptional being, Officer Sun," Scorpius said and Aeryn cringed when she felt his breath on her skin. He gestured Niem to take off Aeryn's Jacket and vest. 

"I have always wondered how an officer like you could slip so easily into the role of a traitor. No Peacekeeper has ever betrayed his commanding officer or turned against him without having been killed in doing so, and yet you, one of the elite regiment of the Pleisar, not only were deemed irreversibly contaminated, you also defied Crais. How does it feel, being a legend in the most repelling sense of the word in Sebacean and Peacekeeper history?" 

"I'm not a traitor. When Crais told me ... I was irreversibly contaminated I wanted to live - simple as that ... Someone told me I can be much more than a Peacekeeper, that there is more to life than oppressing lesser lifeforms ..." 

"Someone? You underestimate me if you think that I would believe you for one minute," He rose his hand and touched her skin on her naked forearm ever so lightly, his touch making her sick to the stomach. 

"We both know who this someone is - and I'm very interested in getting this _someone_ into my custody ..." 

"You will never get John into your frelling hands again," Aeryn hissed and tried hard not to charge into him. "I'd rather kill you where you stand ..." 

"Oh please, Officer Sun, don't shame the both of us by these pointless threats. You are in no position to issue threats, pleas or demands, Officer Sun!" 

Aeryn turned her head away in disgust, when the Scarren was only inches away from her face. His breath made her sick, his sight made her stomach lurch. 

"Do you know that when I heard about a prowler having landed here, I thought about you? Nay, I wished, I hoped it was you," he touched her bruised cheek where Kentak had hit her. "Such an exceptional being you are, Aeryn. I know why you mean so much to John ..." 

Aeryn tried to ignore the Scarren's voice. _I mean much to John?_ she asked herself, but then she shook herself mentally. _Thinking of John won't do me any good. Scorpius' questioning was a cycle ago, he had changed ... I have changed._

"Your silence tells me that you doubt me, Aeryn, but believe me, I do have deeper knowledge, deeper than you ever cared to know about." He motioned Niem to come nearer. 

"Why don't you just quit talking and we get this over with?" Aeryn asked, trying not to show any fear. 

"Ahhh, ever the efficient Peacekeeper. You know the saying that you can get the Sebacean out of a Peacekeeper but never the Peacekeeper out of a Sebacean? They are right!" Scorpius said and smiled, showing off the metal enforced gums. 

"So, if you are so keen on getting into the Aurora Chair, be my guest and let us proceed!" With this, Niem pushed her towards the chair but Aeryn put up a fight. 

The Sebacean struggled but a quick pantak jab she should have seen coming, blacked out all conscious thought. 

* * *

"You are completely tinked if you think I'm going down with all of you!" Chiana said again and tried to sidle away, but Zhaan took a strong hold on her forearm and dragged her along towards the pod. 

"Let me be, Zhaan. I'm not going!" Chiana yelled and was spun around forcefully when Zhaan stopped dead in her tracks and faced her. 

"I never heard such selfish condescencion. Do you think that Aeryn behaved like you do when we rescued you from those stonetaking farputars?" she inquired calmly, too calmly for Chiana's taste. 

"I wasn't there, now, was I? So I don't know," smartassed Chiana but grew silent when she felt the danger emanating from the Delvian. 

"You will come with us, Chiana, and may the Goddess help you if you screw this up!" And with this Zhaan dragged Chiana along to the transport bay. Rygel had already floated into the transport bay and waited impatiently. 

"You better come back in one piece, blue-assed bitch!" he hissed, but the tone was gruff almost loving and Zhaan declined her head. 

"We will but try, Rygel," she said and before Rygel could react she had planted a soft kiss onto his brow. 

"Get away, Zhaan, I really wish you would stop doing that," Rygel guffawed, but the sad smile on his lips indicated he had not minded at all. 

Chiana tilted her head and as if mirroring Zhaan's kiss she pegged Rygel. 

"You bet we'll do that, Your Frogness," she laughed and followed Zhaan to the transporter, deeply engrossed into her own minds. 

_This is all dren, why can't we just leave Aeryn down there and starburst the Hez out of here,_ she asked herself for the hundreth time. Even though she had gotten used to the ex-Peacekeeper, she wanted the males of the ship all to herself. She had noticed that D'Argo was more concerned for Aeryn's well-being than her own, Chiana's, and that nagged her. And if Aeryn was out of the way, perhaps John would be more inclined to succumb to her seductiveness. 

_Love!_ she snorted and climbed into the transport pod. 

John was checking the controls when Zhaan and Chiana took their seats. He was still not sure if this plan was going to work and he doubted that they should abandon Moya like this. Pilot and Rygel alone on Moya and all hell could break loose. 

After a short moment of hesitation he suddenly swung around in his seat and fixed Zhaan and Chiana with a stare. 

"You two better stay on Moya, it can get serious out there, and perhaps we need some medical aid once we make it back to Moya," he said, and shot a glance towards D'Argo as he started to open his mouth. "I don't want them down there! I'll need all my wits about me if we're gonna save Aeryn," he paused and with turning towards Zhaan and Chiana again he added, "And I can't be worrying about you two with the base swarming with Peacekeepers and, besides, you and Pip stick out like a sore thumb. If we need help, we'll contact you!" 

Zhaan had heard him out and then nodded her head slowly. 

"I know what you mean, John, but with you and D'Argo keeping the Peacekeepers occupied and diverted Chiana and I have a chance to find Aeryn..." 

"We don't know if they let themselves be diverted. Last time, those PKs sure didn't went sloppy ...," with a glance at Chiana he added, "Well, not all of them anyway." 

"John is right, Zhaan. With the four of us down on the planet's surface, who will look after Moya and most of all who will keep an eye on Rygel?" D'Argo added, and all four grinned. 

"He is probably procuring already," Chiana added. 

"Then so be it," Zhaan declined her head and bend forward, putting a soft kiss on both men's cheeks, "Be the Goddess protect and guide you." Chiana wasn't that restrained and put a loud, lingering kiss onto D'Argo's mouth, when she was done and turned to John, he held his hands up in front of him. 

"I'll pass, Pip. We better get going!" 

* * *

Aeryn woke up only to find herself being strapped into the contraption she knew from her worst nightmares - she was in the Aurora Chair. Her limbs had been strapped to the contraption and her head was gagged into the seat behind her, the restraints cutting into the skin of her head, biting, maiming her. The room was dimly lit, but for the one huge viewscreen in front of her. 

She immediately thought of the time when she had taunted Crais, who had been tortured by the Aurora Chair. Closing her eyes, she had her fate in front of her. 

"Ah you are awake, Aeryn Sun," Scorpius greeted her and what went for a smile crossed his scarred face. "I knew you would not turn down my invitation." 

"You ... can take your ... invitation and shove it where the sun don't shine..." Aeryn breathed, unconsciously using John's Earth expressions. 

Scorpius looked confused till the translator microbes had translated the expression almost correctly. He shrugged and bent over the strapped woman. 

"I see your companionship with Commander Crichton has been not all in vain, Peacekeeper. You are almost as amusing as that Human." The Scarren circled the chair and touched lightly, almost gently the viewport in front of Aeryn's face. 

"Soon, Officer Sun, we will see what is going on in that little Sebacean irreversibly contaminated head of yours. And you know what, I'm looking forward to share some special moments with you that John Crichton already shared with me. We will be like ... old friends." He smiled. 

Aeryn watched him from the corner of her eyes. She had to get out of here, but every time she tried to move, the restraints of the chair bound her closer. She already had no feeling in her hands left as the shackles kept her pinned on the arm rests of the chair. 

"We'll never be friends, Scorpy," she said, not even realising she used the same nickname as John. 

The Scarren smiled. 

"Ah, Officer Sun, you and John have more in common than you think," he noted amused. 

"We both know that I have the advantage - I have you as bait. He will come, there is no doubt about that." 

Aeryn watched the Scarren then closed her eyes, with all the strength she could find, she shook her head, once, twice, three times. _Now it was time to try John's way ... she would keep Scorpius busy - by talking_, she thought. 

"John won't come for me, Scorpius. You've got the wrong woman," hysterical laughter rose in her throat. "And your chance is gone, Scorpius, you killed Gilina, the Tech Girl, she was the one Crichton loved ..." 

"You are lying!" Scorpius interrupted angrily. "I have seen his memories - I know how he felt about that tech girl and I know how much he feels for you, I have seen you on that false Earth of his." Something like a smile appeared on Scorpius face when he saw the terror in Aeryn's eyes. "You were there, perhaps through you, I can get what I want!" 

He nodded toward Niem, and she cranked up the controls. Aeryn shuddered when she felt the pain. It was unbound, limitless and horrible. The Sebacean cried out in gasps as she tried to suppress the memory of the false Earth. She didn't want to give in, but the pain surging through her body, every fibre and muscle and brain tissue was overpowering. 

_I must not give in_, she thought, not being able to take the pain that the probing of Scorpius left behind much longer. 

The Scarren watched fascinated as Aeryn Sun's memories of the false Earth appeared on the viewport. He had to admit that they were quite as intense as those of John Crichton. 

Aeryn's eyes filled with tears when she felt her resolve slipping away. She tried to fight it but like needles, the chair drew the memories from her and with unblinking eyes she watched images of John and herself on the false Earth. When the first images of the safe house appeared she tried to think of something else, tried to push the memories of that special night as far away from conscious thought as possible. 

Scorpius had noticed her struggle. He smiled and bent over her, while motioning Niem to stop the chair. Aeryn let out a gasp when the pain subsided and her eyes could focus again on her own without being forced to stare onto the viewport. 

"You see, Aeryn, I know what happened in that house. John did not have any apprehensions, you know. Remembering his memories I can almost hear the rain falling against the window ..." Slowly he touched her shoulder with his chin, barely leaving any room between herself and him, mocking the sensuous touches she had so gladly received from John. 

"You frelling bastard!" Aeryn hissed but before she could regain her strength, the chair was switched on again and her innermost memories and thoughts were laid out onto the viewport of the Aurora Chair. 

Aeryn felt as if her whole body was going to explode, her hands, arms and neck ached while she could not feel anything from her torso downward. All she could do was watch the viewport, watch her memories, remembering every single bit of her life. 

Things that she thought she had long forgotten were dragged to the surface again, haunting her, giving her additional emotional pain to the bodily harm she was receiving. She went through the training experiences again, seeing herself as a girl of twelve arns of age, hurting all over, getting abused and her mind broken through bodily harm. 

Aeryn groaned, trying to shake the memories, trying to advert her thoughts away from those painful moments of her early life. 

_Please_, she pleaded silently while she tried to fight against the prodding machine. _Think, Aeryn, think of something else ... think of..._ "John!" 

The name came out in a stifled cry, a cry for help, for hope, for sanity. Aeryn sobbed uncontrollably and her body was shaking - straining against the restraints holding her down, inflicting more bodily harm on her already bruised body. 

Scorpius watched in awe, until the day he had the fortune to have John Crichton strapped to the Chair, he had never encountered a being that had fought him so brilliantly. And now, here it happened again. He wondered if being close to the Alien was the reason for this, that the presence of John Crichton emanated some sort of psychic link. Or perhaps his human mind had contaminated this Sebacean - Scorpius did not know. 

"Don't fight me, Aeryn Sun. You know, you cannot succeed," Scorpius' voice was near Aeryn's ear. "And John is not here to help you ..." 

"Frell you!" Aeryn muttered, her throat aching from the shout that was bottled up inside of her. She tilted her head slightly, watching the Scarren from the corner of her eyes. What she saw was beyond comprehension, he actually stared at the viewscreen with an expression of utter excitement and _joy_. She tried to close her eyes but she could not - something - the Aurora Chair - prevented it. 

"Tell me, Aeryn Sun, did he do things to you that your fellow Sebaceans had never thought about because they would have been abhorred?" Scorpius asked and his head snapped towards the viewport when he saw her answering thoughts. 

Flashes of John and herself filled the viewscreen. Their little encounter in the module, their compatibility kiss and all the small endearments John had showered upon her, his arms around her giving her strength, his touches and compassion and then when her resolve broke, their love making - once - on the false Earth. Aeryn cried, for the first time in arns, she cried and convulsed in sobs. 

Scorpius grinned and motioned for the Chair to be switched off. "I can see now, Officer Sun, that you are indeed irreversibly contaminated. Not even I have the power to prevent your terminal retirement in front of a court martial. The Chair never lies." 

* * *

  
  



	4. Triangular Exceptions

Chapter Four - Triangular Exceptions 

Scorpius watched the unconscious Ex-Peacekeeper in silence. She had fought well and yet he had found all the little memories concerning John Crichton. He was amazed of how much this defector had learnt over the last two cycles. Additionally, the Scarren was surprized about how much she felt for the human emotionally, her conditioning should have made it near impossible to overcome and yet, Aeryn Sun had managed to do just that. 

He was so deeply involved in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice Lieutenant Veron, who had come in. 

"We have word from the command carrier, they have detected a leviathan in the shadow of the planet." 

Scorpius smiled and turned around. 

"A leviathan you say, Veron? What a fortunate incidence," he motioned Niem to switch off the chair, then he turned towards Veron again. 

"Bring her back to the prisoners and prepare my prowler, I will oversee the capture of the errant leviathan and the escaped prisoners myself. When I come back we will then proceed on that little experiment we have been talking about. This Ex-Peacekeeper will be the first to demonstrate that we have found an antidote to the Living Death..." 

"But ..." Veron started but quickly shut his mouth again. It was no good to cross words with Scorpius and he didn't want to end up like this Ex-Peacekeeper - another guinea pig in Scorpius' experiments. 

"I thought so," Scorpius commented, having watched his security chief. With this he walked out of the lab room. 

A shudder went down Veron's spine and with a shivering hand he losened the restraints on Aeryn's arms. Somehow Veron felt sympathy with the Ex-Peacekeeper. Of course, her defection would ensure her extermination, but that she should serve as an experiment, to submit her to the Living Death only to be brought back and then be executed, that was even for him too much to stomach. 

"Better you than me," he said out loud and hauled the unconscious Aeryn Sun out of the chair and over his shoulder. 

* * *

The young Luxan had kept his eyes trained closely onto the entry to the base. He had been waiting for more than seven arns, since the Peacekeepers had taken Aeryn away and he was more than scared. The other prisoners had smirked at him when he had voiced his concerns out loud but only Muntagh, the old Illanic, had so much as shared his fear for the Sebacean. 

When Jo'Thee saw one of the newly arrived Peacekeepers stumbling out of the gate with a heavy load on his shoulders, accompanied by two other armed guards, he jumped to his feet and ran up to the fence. He recognized the mane of black hair immediately and his hands clawed into the fence. 

Confusion and fear was replaced by anger, bordering on the first stirs of Luxan Hyperrage. With every step that the Peacekeeper officer advanced Jo'Thee moved closer to the gate in the fence. With every step, his muscles prepared for a fight. 

Veron had noticed the young Luxan, even before his gaze had met that of the furious young bantling. He shifted Aeryn's weight on his shoulders as he opened the gate, careful to keep out of the range of the fuming Luxan. 

Unceremoniously, he dumped Aeryn Sun onto the hard, frozen ground, the two Peacekeeper soldiers covering his back. When he saw the hatred in the eyes of the child, he was taken aback momentarily at the intensity, then Veron shrugged his shoulders. What was it to him, that someone was reacting so strongly to his maltreatment of the traitor? In two solar days time, they would be either dead or sold into slavery, never to surface again either way. 

Confident, that the two soldiers of the Peacekeeper regiment were covering him, he kicked the traitor into the ribs, smiling at the sickening sound of breaking bones, then he turned around. 

Jo'Thee let out a howl and charged forward only to come short up with the muzzled of two rifles trained onto his head. 

"One move, and you're dead, Luxan," one of the Peacekeepers snarled and shoved him away. 

* * *

Zhaan had retreated to her cell, leaving Chiana and Rygel to keep Pilot company. The two of them were sitting in front of one of Moya's controls, each engrossed in their own thoughts. One of Rygel's three stomachs growled loudly and Chiana looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. 

"Frell, you've just eaten, Sparky," she said and shook her head. Rygel huffed and moved his thronesled closer to the Nebari. 

"I have not eaten properly, for at least two solar days ... all we have are these obnoxious foodcubes!" 

Chiana looked at the Hynerian. "But .. I thought you .. liked them.." she breathed and pecked him under his chin. 

Rygel huffed again and sped away on his sled. Chiana sighed and looked around. With John and D'Argo gone she felt bored. 

She jumped to her feet and surveyed the controls. When she noticed two smaller bleeps on one of the controls, her head snapped up. 

"Pilot!" she shouted and looked up. "Pilot!" she shouted again, as the image of Pilot appeared on the holoscreen. 

"Yes, Chiana, Moya and I have already noticed the two marauders." 

"What? And you are not telling us?" Chiana yelled and turned her head from one side to the other. "You have sold us out, haven't you, Pilot?" 

Pilot watched the young Nebari then shook his head. "No I haven't, Chiana. Moya is already rising the habitual temperature by 2 Kemps per nanosecond and we hope to greet the boarding Peacekeepers with all due ... respect." 

Chiana nodded to that but she didn't feel any remorse at being angry at Pilot and for accusing him. Restlessly, she watched the two bleeps on the controls drawing nearer and nearer and she got the uncanny feeling that the Peacekeepers wouldn't fall for that old trick .. What if ... What if those weren't Peacekeepers? What if they were a different species on which the Heat Delirium did not work? 

* * *

The clang of chains unnerved both D'Argo and John. Ever since Larraq and his team had come aboard Moya, D'Argo had not worn the prisoner chains again. Even though they fit only loosely the feeling of despair and helplessness washed over the Luxan. Gruffily, he leant back in the chair and watched John working the controls. They were flying high over the surface of the planet, range after range of snow topped mountains alternated with snow covered plains and when the Luxan saw how excited John was pointing out this or that, he tried to make sense of the babble of the human. 

"You know, big guy, this really looks like Hoth from Star Wars ..." John said and was humming a strange tune. 

"Star Wars?" D'Argo asked. 

"Yeah, Black cloaked, dark helmetted Vader and his evil Empire ...and Han and the princess ..." John stated. 

"Sounds like Scorpius and his PK henchmen," D'Argo commented and immediately bit his tongue. To lighten the situation he added, "Princess? Is that why you call Aeryn Princess?" 

John had heard his reference, and he wondered if he had some how found himself in some kind of weird Star Wars universe. He just hoped he was not some second Luke Skywalker to a Scorpy Vader. He shuddered at that thought and shot D'Argo a quick glance. 

"Naw," John drawled light-heartedly. "Though Aeryn can kick ass just like Princess Leia - perhaps even better than that." He grinned at that thought. "Good thing is, she doesn't wear the same hairdo ..." 

D'Argo frowned at that but knew better than to ask, most of these Earth references eluded him, but over the last two cycles he had learnt to live with them - it was part of what John was, part of his home. Since that experience on the false Earth, where he had seen how strange the Humans really were, he counted John lucky that he had not lost his mind completely. 

They sat in companionable silence when one of the controls gave off a soft blip. Both men looked at each other then, D'Argo confirmed. 

"It is Aeryn's prowler, about 1000 metras away from what appears a penal colony - manned," D'Argo said and John let out his breath. 

"Just our luck," John muttered under his breath and sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment, before he prepared the pod for landing inside the base. He had gotten quite expert with the pod now, especially as Aeryn had taken it upon herself to train him even in the strangest hours.   
_When she had first thrown me out of bed for a training spin in the middle of the night, I had thought she wanted to ... ah ... Better not go there_, John thought and shrugged. He needed to keep a level mind, and he shouldn't think about something that was never going to happen anyway. He and Aeryn would probably end up an old couple, still arguing and kicking each other's asses instead of loving each other. He shuddered at that thought, as much as he would love to grow old with Aeryn, arguing wasn't part of that little fantasy of his. 

D'Argo had watched John while he had been musing. Lately, John had been more introspective than he was used of the Human, and D'Argo asked himself again and again why Aeryn and John couldn't get over all the things - he and Chiana had, why couldn't the human and the Sebacean, who had more in common than just being bi-pedal humanoids like himself and Chiana. 

D'Argo shook his head slightly and stared out the window. "Show ... Time," he said and stood up, John who had caught his muttering, shook his head. 

"Hey, big guy, it is Showtime ... not show ... time ... Ahh never mind, let's kick some ass and get Aeryn out of here," John said with a smile and pushed the strap of the pulse rifle over his shoulder, D'Argo's Qualta blade an unfamiliar weight underneath the coat where he had hidden it. 

Crichton, complete in Peacekeeper demeanour, pushed D'Argo forward and the Luxan grunted, as they advanced towards the biggest building. They noticed they had put on quite a show, the prisoners were lined up against the fences and were gawking at them. With casual ease D'Argo and John skimmed the prisoners until D'Argo seemed to have noticed the pony-tailed Sebacean, he and John were so fond of. 

"Three o'clock high," D'Argo muttered and at first, John wanted to say something, that it meant _Twelve o'clock high_, when he happened to glance into the direction. 

"Aeryn," he whispered and D'Argo nodded shortly. They walked up to three Peacekeepers who had been standing on the steps to their quarters, their breaths visible in the cold air. 

"Showtime," John muttered and started his little speech. 

* * *

D'Argo and John were both surprized that the Peacekeepers had so readily agreed to accomodate the _Luxan prisoner_ as well as offering the Special Ops Peacekeeper a bed far away from the co-ed bunk room. They both took notice of everything as Kentak walked them through a maze of corridors. 

Momentarily, John had considered posing as Larraq again but then they had dug into the database of Moya and had gotten the ID of a Special Ops Captain who had been MIA for over a cycle now. 

Now he posed as Dashaq and Kentak had bought it. The Peacekeeper had even explained why they couldn't do some genetic scans as they had all equipment securely stashed away for transport. John was glad of this circumstance because this time there was no Gilina with them who could ...   
_Gilina_, John thought and sad smile curved his lips. _What had she said? There is someone who loves you more than I do ..._ and she had been right. Whereas John and Aeryn had not noticed, Gilina had. When she had asked him why he had come to the Gammak Base, he had stalled her questioning, had tried to persuade himself that Aeryn was but a crewmate. But Gilina had known, perhaps she had even known from the start that Aeryn and John were the perfect match. 

_Yeah, perfect match made in hell_, he grinned to himself. Mentally shaking himself out of his reverie, John turned his focus back on Kentak who was walking in front of him. The Peacekeeper had droned on and on about the traitor and how she had dealt with the Aurora Chair. Upon hearing this John tensed and he could feel D'Argo at his side doing likewise. 

"So you say, Scorpius is here?" John inquired casually and Kentak nodded his head. 

"At the moment he is off-planet, hunting down a renegade leviathan but as soon as he returns he will subject the traitor to the Chair again. It serves her right, because of her we were submitted to the dren hole in the first place!" Kentak snarled and walked over to one of the prison cells. "You can leave your prisoner here, Dashaq. We will be having a short reprieve tonight before we will get out of here tomorrow. The Pleisar Regiment catching Aeryn Sun was fortunate. Who ever thought that her old regiment would be the one to catch her, huh?" 

Crichton's eyes flashed with anger when he saw Kentak's smug face. _Not her own former regiment_, he thought and hid his shock by shoving D'Argo into the cell. Pretending to check his handcuffs he losened them. When he was sure that Kentak was busy walking up and down the aisle in front of the cell, John even dared to slip out the Qalta Balde and hid it quickly underneath one of the bunks in the cell. 

"Find her," that was all D'Argo had to say and John nodded, having heard the concern in his friend's voice. 

* * *

Zhaan was jerked out of her meditation when Pilot's face appeared on the viewscreen. The Delvian gathered her garments about her and turned towards the symbiont, asking "What is it Pilot?" 

"Zhaan, it appears that two Marauders and a Prowler are advancing quickly. Moya and I have received transmission that we will surrender or Officer Aeryn Sun dies down on planet ..." His voice trailed away and with baleful eyes Pilot looked out from the screen. 

"Crais?" Zhaan asked, not a trace of fear lacing her still calm voice. 

"No, it appears, the officer in charge here goes by the name of ... Scorpius ..." Pilot said, momentarily pausing and looking deeply into Zhaan's eyes. "Incoming communication, they demand to come aboard!" 

Zhaan shuddered. "Tell them they are welcome and that I will meet them in the transport bay," Zhaan replied calmly, too calmly on the outside, but fear and rage was surging through her every fibre. 

_Goddess, what should I do?_ she asked herself silently as she made her way to the transport bay. 

Pilot kept the environmental controls under close guard. Moya had inreased the temperature by 20 Kemps but it was not high enough to cause the advancing Sebaceans to suffer from Heat Delirium. Quietly conversing with Moya, he coerced her into rising the temperature more. 

* * *

After a tour of the base, Kentak lead him to the recreational bar. The Peacekeeper had talked incessantly, referring to himself as a good solider, too good to be true and Crichton suspected that Kentak was trying to get a meal ticket into the Special Ops Commandos through him. After what seemed like hours - _arns_, John reminded himself - Kentak excused himself and sauntered off. Leaning against the bar, John sighed under his breath and checked his time piece casually. 

D'Argo had about five arns till John was supposed to sound the emergency klaxon - creating the diversion they needed to rescue Aeryn. John had been appalled of what he had seen of the prisoners, they seemed all badly nourished and especially Aeryn looked as if she was about to collapse. He had tried to meet her eyes but she had stared past him, her eyes unblinking. 

_She needs warmth and a good night's sleep_, John thought and squeezed his eyes shut for a short moment. _If I get her out of the camp, it would be even easier to escape._ He motioned the bar tender and ordered a Raslak. _Now all I have to do is to persuade Kentak that I need to be alone with her_, he thought. 

John took a big swallow of Raslak and watched the Peacekeepers surrounding him. Most of them were casually chatting and drinking, while others just met with prospective procreation partners and got up to seek privacy else where. 

_So these are Aeryn's former buddies_, John thought and took another sip. _I can't picture Aeryn with them, not at all. They are so different, so cold and mechanical, not like Aeryn at all._ He sighed heavily under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. _It wouldn't do me any good to think of her now_, he reminded himself. _First I have to get her out of here - away from Scorpius!_

A heavy hand slammed down on his left shoulder and John instinctively reached for his gun while he spun around, facing the opponent. 

"You should relax," Kentak slurred and leant against the bar. Either he was too drunk or was deliberately ignoring the gun, John was not too sure what to think. 

"I guess travelling through every dren hole in this part of the galaxy has made me .. fidgety," John replied and put the gun back into its holster. Leaning against the bar he ordered another round of Raslak for himself and Kentak. 

"Why not recreate, I'm sure there will be some Peacekeepers here who could be persuaded," Kentak grinned and nodded towards two female Peacekeepers at a nearby table. John followed his gaze and pretended to check them out, then he shook his head and smiled. 

"Ah, Kentak, buddy, I do have a slightly more extraordinary taste." John said with a smile and laid an arm around Kentak's shoulder. "I like my females soft and obedient - no battle hardened soldiers. As it happens I saw a Sebacean out there in the yard, she wore a Peacekeeper uniform but surely she isn't one, right?" 

Kentak blinked to fight off the drowsiness. "You mean the traitor? She is irreversibly contaminated ... or so they say, but you know, we served together and at one time had procreation assigned. She is efficient - in a way." The Peacekeeper drowned his Raslak and John filled up his cup again. 

John shot him a glance and tensed. _Sooner or later it had to happen_, he told himself. _Even in the Uncharted Territories you were sure to run into one or two of Aeryn's ex-lovers. First Velorek and now Kentak. But why does it anger me so much?_ He asked himself. 

"Efficient you say?" John inquired casually and he grinned. He looked around as if to make sure that no one was overhearing them, then leant in close towards Kentak. "How much efficiency are we talking about here?" 

Kentak let out a laugh, then drowned another Raslak.  
"Quite efficient. She is not much of a looker, too flat-butted but yeah, you could say after procreation you can just go out dominating the the lesser races again." 

John's first reaction was to beat the crap out of him but he quickly masked his true feelings by laughing suggestively. 

"Well, I would be interested in some _unregulated_ procreation and if she's not a Peacekeeper anymore who wants to know, right?" John suggested, leaving it to Kentak's imagination what he had in mind with his _unregulated_ procreation. 

And Kentak did not let him down, because the man shook his head. "She won't put up much of a fight, she had been with Scorpius in the Aurora Chair almost the complete solar day ... she would just let it happen, she is too far gone." 

"The number the better, that will teach her a lesson," John commented and drank the rest of his Raslak. He ignored Kentak's dirty laughter and fought the overwhelming urge to wipe that laughter out of Kentak's face, preferably with his fist. 

"There are several empty storage rooms in the other barrack across the yard, this way no one will hear her cry ..." Kentak commented but John shook his head. 

"She won't cry, she'll be too frightened to raise a din," Crichton said and smirked. 

* * *

Kentak himself walked him to the prisoner camp and opened up the gate. Crichton drew his gun and walked over to the prisoners who had huddled around a fire. He immediately noticed the young Luxan and frowned. Stepping further towards the youngster, he saw Aeryn sitting farthest away from the fire, a blanket had slipped unnoticed from her shoulder and she seemed as if she was not even taking any notice of her surroundings. He crossed the distance with three long strides when the Luxan jumped to his feet and took a stance. 

"Keep your hands off her, she has suffered enough at your frelling hands!" Jo'Thee growled and for a moment John was taken aback by the fierceness of the young Luxan. 

"Get out of the way, kid. She's none of your business," Crichton growled and casually raised up his gun. 

"Leave her be, Peacekeeper!" Jo'Thee growled and reached up to put a hand on John's shoulder. Crichton turned on his heels and grabbed the youngster by his throat. 

"Keep out of my business, Luxan. She will come with me!" 

"Jo'Thee, no," Aeryn breathed and scrambled to her feet. John's head snapped up into ther direction. _Jo'Thee_, he mouthed and Aeryn, squinting her eyes to see his action, nodded her head slowly. 

John's grip on the Luxan wanted to relax but then he shoved him out of the way. 

Jo'Thee staggered backwards, right into Aeryn who groaned when he slammed into her side with the cracked rib. They both stumbled backward and Crichton's hands sped out out and grabbed them. All of them staggering, they heard Kentak's amused chuckles. 

Shoving the young Luxan down into the snow again, John grabbed Aeryn and dragged her over to where Kentak was waiting, praying the kid had the right mind to stay back. 

Aeryn groaned again and almost jackknived and when Crichton noticed it, he was tempted to put a suppporting arm around her shoulder. 

"Don't," Aeryn breathed and for a short microt their eyes met, John understanding the meaning of that short word. John nodded curtly, then dragged her with him. 

Shoving and dragging her towards the empty barrack, John turned a blind eye on her obvious discomfort. But after Kentak had passed them, leading the way towards the barrack, John made sure he was more supporting than dragging her. He heard Kentak babbling about sex and he sighed. He was not sure if he could pull this off. 

"There are some pallets in there, but I guess you won't need them to get her comfy," Kentak said and grinned. Aeryn's arm flaid towards the Peacekeeper's face, but John grabbed her hard, taking her into a chokehold. 

"No, we won't need them," John commented casually, grabbing Aeryn even harder to his body, pretending to clutch her in all the right places. "Goodnight, Kentak," he said with a grin and shoved Aeryn into the darkness of the barrack. 

John waited till the footsteps were fading, then he followed Aeryn into the room. His instincts saved him from a hard pantab jab and he warded it off. 

"Aeryn, lay off here for a moment!" He growled and caught her arms. "You can beat the crap out of me, when Kentak is gone, Sunshine!" 

Aeryn tried to focus on his face in the darkness and slumbed against the wall behind her - her resistance fading from her, her momentary energy drained from her body. John squeezed her arm shortly and went in search of a lamp. 

When the barrack was ablaze in yellowish light, John turned back where he had left Aeryn and saw she had slid to the floor. Resting her head in her hands, she had drawn her knees up closely to her chest. John's heart went out to her. She looked so vulnerable and small, like a child. 

Quickly he walked over and squatted in front of her. "Aeryn," he whispered softly, touching her hands ever so slightly. 

Aeryn raised her head slowly and watched him. Hesitating, she entwined her fingers with his and closed her eyes. 

"You shouldn't have come, Cri... John. Scorpius is here, if he finds out ... he wants to get you through me ..." she whispered and a sob rose in her throat. Angrily she wiped the tears away from her eyes and face and turned her face away from him. 

Crichton let out a soft sigh. He had never seen her so defeated, so out of her usual cool control. Slowly, he raised a hand and traced her cheekbones. He was surprized when she leant into his touch, rubbing her cheek against his palm. 

"You have to go ... John ... leave me here..." She breathed again. "GO! ... Please..." 

"So you can go down in true Peacekeeper blaze of glory fashion? Forget it, Aeryn," John said and gently turned her face towards him. Seeing the black and blue blotches on her other cheek, he gently touched her bruises. "We are in this together ... if it hadn't been for me, Scorpy wouldn't have been interested in you. Besides, I promised not to leave you ..." 

Aeryn shook her head. "I let you out of this promise, Crichton. Scorpius is only one small step away from his ultimate goal, because you are here ... He knew you would come for me ... I ... we have to think of Jo'Thee as well, if Scorpius ... if he finds out he's D'Argo's son ... And you ...," she grabbed John by the lapel of his duster with surprising strength. "You have to go. Scorpius has me, he will be satisfied for the time being, and I don't want you here with him so close by, you have to go ... now and don't come back ... ever!" Aeryn hung her head and sniffled, all her remaining strength suddenly leaving her body. 

Crichton watched her and felt pain tug at his heart. She had not said it, had not told him why she wanted so easily give her life for his safety, but he was quite sure the meaning behind her words. He slowly put a finger underneath her chin and gently forced her to look at him. 

"I'm not going, Aeryn, so stop bickering. Either we are in this together - or not at all. If you stay, I stay," he said gruffly, willing her to understand what it meant, wanting her to tell her that he appreciated her concern over his safety. Aeryn nodded shortly and she swallowed hard as another sob was threatening to come to the surface. 

_Hez, I hate it when I'm in a state like this_, she thought and closed her eyes. _I'm so tired, so tired of running away_. She suddenly realized, she and Crichton had a similar conversation back on the Royal Planet. Now she knew why John had married Katralla, he must have felt like her back then. _I have to protect him, even if I can't protect myself by doing so_, she thought. All she knew was to get John out of here, the feeling of foreboding was almost overwhelming and for once in the last two cycles she was glad for her Peacekeeper training. She had been taught to risk her life for the benefit of others, and that was something she was about to do - to save Crichton's life over her own. 

She was jolted out of her reverie when John inquired, "Are you sure, Jo'Thee is .. D'Argo's son?" With effort she nodded her head. 

"He told me he had a Sebacean mother. He was taken by the Peacekeepers about a cycle ago and is up for slavery. I did my best to pry any information about his past out of him and he offered that information for all it's worth," she sighed and looked up. "I know this is D'Argo's son. This is why you have to go, take Jo'Thee with you and let me stay here." She closed her little speech with determination, almost challenging Crichton with it. 

"Let's get you cleaned up a bit, Princess," John stated calmly instead. _Like hell I would abandon you here, Aeryn_, he thought. With this he raised and pulled her to her feet. 

He shoved and pulled some crates out of the way and spread a pallet out onto the dirty floor, when he had finished, he gently pushed Aeryn towards the make shift bed. 

John was lucky he had kept his container with him and now he poured some water in a cup. He gently and meticulously cleaned her face and hands as he squatted in front of her.   
After he was done, he watched Aeryn. Her face was unsually calm and peaceful, as if life itself had drained out of her. Giving in to the urge to be close to her, to make her forget the experience in the Aurora Chair, he leant in and embraced her. She whinced slightly but did not draw away, clutching her arms around his back as if she was not to let go of him anymore. 

They sat there for the longest time, neither speaking, just relishing the closeness of each other. John had closed his eyes and was rocking her to and fro. When he felt a shudder going through her frail body, he looked up, searching her face intensely. 

"You cold?" he asked and Aeryn simply nodded. Shrugging out of his duster, John pushed her gently down on the pallet and covered her shivering body with it. Quickly he searched the premise for additional blankets and when he came back, Aeryn was lying on the mattress shivering uncontrollably. 

"Here, that will keep you warm," he said while spreading the blankets across her. Aeryn watched him, taking in his gentle face. 

"John?" She inquired in a tiny voice that was so unlike her own. John's head snapped up and looked at her. 

"Will you ... hold me?" she asked, blushing at her simple request. _Aeryn, you are a Peacekeeper, quit playing coy,_ she chided herself, but right now she felt so defenseless, so vulnerable, that she couldn't think straight. Last time she had felt like this was on that false Earth. _Better not go there,_ she reminded herself and watched as John shrugged out of the heavy Peacekeeper vest he had exchanged for his old IASA jacket after his three months stay on Acquara. 

Aeryn moved to make room for Crichton's tall frame on the pallet and after he had laid back, she simply rolled onto her side, resting her head on his shoulder. John hesitated before he draped the duster and blankets around them again, tugging her in. 

Aeryn closed her eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat underneath her. A thought occured her mind, nagging her, tugging. 

"Kentak thinks you are raping me, right?" she asked suddenly and John tensed as if hit by a whiplash. He let his body relax bit by bit and nodded. 

"Yeah, he came up with the idea that this Special PK Commando officer would get lonely hunting the Uncharted Territories and he suggested some procreation ..." he turned his head slightly to be able to see her face, but her eyes were closed. 

"I told him in not so many words that I was more interested in some ... ah ... dominating and he suggested you for some _unregulated procreation_." He felt Aeryn's body tensing underneath his touch and he slightly, reassuringly squeezed her shoulder. 

"Whatever, he fell for the ruse, that is all that matters. I wanted to keep you warm and save." He stated and then a thought occurred to him. _If Kentak had so easily let me get away with it what if ..._

Crichton turned around, causing Aeryn to draw in her breath when he brushed hard against her fractured rib. 

"Aeryn, he didn't ... did he?" John's voice was rasping and urgent. He searched her face for several microts and then let out a breath he had not been aware he had been holding, when she shook her head no at his inquiry. 

"He would be too afraid to be claimed irreversibly contaminated. With you it is different. Special Peacekeeper Commandos are operating on need-to-know basis, and what they are up to ... is none of anyone's business beside that of the high command," John listened to her and was glad that she almost sounded like his old Aeryn, no-nonsense, emotionally controlled. 

"Kentak wouldn't dare to lay hands on me, I made sure of that," Aeryn closed and John picked up one of her hands. They still showed the scrabs and bloody jabs of her encounter with Kentak. Also he realised, that Kentak's face had looked as if it had hit a wall. He smiled to himself. 

"Did handburger again, Aeryn?" he asked in a lighter mood and shot her an amused grin. 

"More or less face ...burger," She replied and smiled. She leant in close, hiding her face at his shoulder, stifling a yawn. 

"You should rest, Aeryn, tomorrow we'll need all the strength we have." He made sure, that she was tugged in warmly and closed his eyes. But he couldn't sleep. Too much adrenaline was still rushing through his body, a circumstance he had gotten used to over the last two cycles. 

_This is all so unreal,_ he thought and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. _John Crichton, scientific astronaut, hunted down by some damn persistant mutants. Oh Dad, this is nothing like our vision of life out here._ He hugged her closer, listening to her steady breath, though he was sure she was as wide awake as he was. He had found out soon enough, that Aeryn had a way of appearing to sleep when she wasn't. Probably some PK technique to calm the body rather than the mind. 

_Dad ..._ John started in his thoughts again. _How come you and mom did ever get together? Okay, I give, you weren't persued by some mad captain and an even worse scientist, but hey, how did you manage to stay together for that long? I can't imagine how it should work_. It struck him that he suddenly understood how his parents had managed for so long being married despite all the long waking, lonely hours his mother had spent while his Dad was off walking on the moon, making history. The location didn't matter as long as they were together - just like Aeryn and him. _I'm sorry, Dad, but you said, Home is where the heart is and it's right here, in my arms._ He knew he would never go back to Earth, not without Aeryn anyway and as she was an alien ... He cut down on this train of thought. He didn't want to think about what scientists on Earth would do to Aeryn if they found out she was not human. 

"It's all so unreal ..." he whispered underneath his breath, grinning at the realization that he had found home and that he could take anything she would deal him. 

Aeryn had listened to his heartbeat and had felt he was thinking. Even if not looking into his often so readable face, she had grown accustomed to his moods and emotional turmoil. His body warmth had lulled her into a comfortable state of half-waking and half-sleeping, relaxing her body while her mind was still racing with thoughts. She had tried to think of a way to plan their impending escape but all she could think of was John and his closeness. She had tried to push these thoughts far away from her but every time she drew in a breath, she was made aware of how close she was to him. How many times they had been close. _ Only once_, she thought. 

"It was real, you know," she suddenly said and bit her lip. She felt John tensing and relaxing again underneath her head. 

"What was real?" he inquired with a definite catch in his voice. 

"I ... it was real, down on that false Earth ... I was real," she whispered, drawing in a painful breath. Aeryn felt as if an iron ring was closing in on her chest, but all these cycles she had avoided speaking about that night on the false Earth. But tonight, here with their impending death right in front of their eyes, she had to speak out. _This might be our last chance - MY last chance_, she thought. 

John had held his breath, listening to her little confession. Somewhere in his head, he had always suspected it was true, the Ancients had said as much, but the conscious part of his mind had negated this fact. He didn't want to fall deeper into his emotions for Aeryn. _She didn't want to talk about, so be it_, he had thought. _But now, of all places, she wanted to talk about it_. He shook his head. 

"Aeryn ... let us not go there, that was in the past ..." he said through clenched teeth, unwanted tears stinging his eyes. 

Aeryn had heard his pleading tone and propped herself up on her elbows, gazing down on him. _I will not keep my tongue_, she thought fiercely, _Not now, not ever_. 

"You once told me that we never seem to say goodbye," she said softly, her breath fanning his face. "I ... I don't want to say good-bye, John. I ... can't. If I do that ... I would let you go ..." She closed her eyes as if to assemble her thoughts. John watched her intendly, taking in every curve of her face, tracing the lines of her eyes, nose and lips with his eyes. She looked so vulnerable and yet strong while she tried to convey her thoughts and feelings. 

Deep inside of himself, John felt as if a great lump was falling off his chest. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt greatly thankful for this moment. All his apprehensions for telling Aeryn his true feelings for her, fell away, somewhat unimportant. 

He raised his hand to her face and he was still surprized that she did not draw away, in fact it flooded him with warmth when she turned her head and put a soft kiss into his palm. 

"Aeryn ..." John whispered and a sad smile curved her lips, when she heard it. She had noticed the question in this simple word, had heard the urgency behind it. 

"I can't ... live with ... without you ..." Her words came hesitatingly, and with each word she could see John's open reaction to them. She wanted so much to say the words, but the concept of love eluded her still. That was all she had to offer, and in her book that was much. 

John stared at her in disbelief. First he had thought that she would hand him her old implementations again but when the meaning of her words came through his mind, he couldn't believe it at first. 

"Aeryn ..." he said and pushed upward, turning her onto her back to stare down at her. She smiled that intriguing, sad smile, she only seemed to reserve for him. Then all broke, he leant down, closer and for a moment overcome with doubt, he paused, searching her eyes and when he found a confirmation, he bent down and kissed her. 

They clung to each other, both afraid to voice out their feelings and yet overcome with emotion. One moment John found himself as if he could take on the whole universe, even take on Scorpius and the next he was overcome with doubt, the painful realisation, that if they came through this whole ordeal that Aeryn would close up on him again. He didn't want that to happen, not anymore. 

Crichton drew back and stilled her with a raised hand, touching her opened lips with a finger.   
"If you mean it ..." he squeezed his eyes shut for a short moment and forced great gulps of air into his lungs. "If you mean it, Aeryn, then there will be no retractions, no _this isn't top priority_. If you mean it, then we are an item. No discussion, no regrets," his intense gaze burned into her. 

For a moment, she was not sure what he was talking about. _An item?_ she asked herself. But John's eyes bored into her and she had understood the meaning of his other words. 

"No regrets," she whispered and kissed him. 

* * *

  
**Coming Soon** : Final Chapter Five - Deadly Squares  



	5. Deadly Squares

Special thanks go to Jackie for bearing with me on this rather painful birth on writing this chapter - you are great, buddy, thank you for the beta :)   
Additional author's note: I want to apologise that this fic took so long to finish up, but in November when I wrote the first draft of it, I thought I was going to finish it real quick - then the BBC showed the original season two finale and I thought _'oh no I can't top that'_, and let it rest even with only three scenes missing from it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :) 

Chapter Five - Deadly Squares 

The couple lay in each other's arms on the pallet. Neither was speaking, both acutely aware that their peaceful time was running out fast. After their confessions of love, John and Aeryn had been content with holding each other, exchanging soft kisses and tender words. Aeryn felt so wrapped up in John's warmth and love that she had soon fallen asleep. John, Southern gentleman and all, had watched over her. But he had to admit that he wasn't able to sleep anyway. The situation asked for one of them to be awake and Aeryn's confession had completely dismissed the urge to sleep. 

Grinning foolishly, John turned his head and nuzzled his nose in Aeryn's hair. Despite the fact that it was freezing cold, Scorpius nearby and Aeryn and Jo'thee in Peacekeeper hands, he felt incredibly happy. 

He gently tightened his arms around the woman he loved more than his life and tried to tune all his senses to the noises outside, his gun settled in his lap. Thus, he waited for Aeryn to awake, so that they could get on with their escape plans. 

+++++

Although all of the Sebacean Peacekeeper Commandos were affected by the heat that Pilot and Moya had created on the Leviathan, the Peacekeepers had quickly rounded up the fugitives and Pilot, not wanting to endanger his friends, had given orders to decrease the temperature. Soon everything should be back to normal on Moya - except for one thing - her inhabitants would be either dead or captured and at the mercy of a crazed madman. 

Chiana's head swayed from side to side, something she often did when she was either afraid or excited. The Peacekeeper Commandos, although they had to shed various garments of dress, were still efficiently functional and had boarded the Leviathan in several microts flat. 

Now, Chiana, Rygel and Zhaan were standing in Command, waiting for John's nemesis to appear. The door opened with an angry swooshing sound as if the huge leviathan herself was angry about having to shelter the abomination known as Scorpius. 

When the half-breed stepped in front of the line-up of the three hapless prisoners, Rygel cowered slightly while Chiana shot the Scarren a defiant look. 

"Ah, so pleased to meet you again, Dominar," Scorpius' voice, although barely a whisper, reverberated clearly through the room. Rygel ducked and his eyes darted to and fro, always avoiding the direct gaze of the Half-Scarren. 

"I cannot return the sentiment, Scorpius," Rygel remarked after he had gathered up some courage. 

Scorpius dismissed the words with an impatient sweep of his gloved hand and walked over to Chiana. When he had reached her, he raised his hand and cupped her cheek gently. 

"A Nebari," he said with a contorted smile. "How interesting!" 

Scorpius walked down the line-up of the Hynerian, minus his throne-sled, the Nebari and the Delvian. The Half-blood was surprised that one human had evoked so much loyalty in such varied species as these three. His men had told him that even the Hynerian had declined to speak up, but that was inconsequential now. He needed Crichton and he was going to get him - no matter what the cost. 

+++++

It was dark in the cell and the only light coming in was from a guard's room a couple of feet away. D'Argo slipped the handcuffs off which had been loosened enough by John four arns ago. Quietly picking up his Qualta Blade, D'Argo fumbled with the lock and the ident chip Chiana had made from the mould that had been Larraq's ... it worked. 

Snorting under his breath at the stupidity of the Peacekeepers for not changing the codes at any of their installations, D'Argo advanced slowly into the corridor beyond. No one was at the guard room which made D'Argo stop for a minute. That was so unlike any Peacekeeper directive he had come across in the many arns he had spent in their custody. 

The Luxan counted himself lucky for such stupidity and slowly he crept further toward the guard room. With a quick look inside he counted the Peacekeepers. Three on the left, and on the right side, none of them had their rifles anywhere in easy reach. 

_This will do_, D'Argo thought and a growl rose deeply from within his chest. He charged in, his Qualta Blade ripping off pulse fire in rapid succession. 

The Peacekeeper commandos were truly surprised when Ka D'Argo charged into the room, tentacles and red coat ablazing. The rapid fire of the Qualta blade took out the remaining two who were unfortunate enough to hide behind two crates. 

Moving swiftly, D'Argo reached the exit of the detention area and moved in the shadows towards the surface. 

_Too easy_, he thought, somewhat uneasily as he approached the last door that lead to the base's yard. 

+++++

Scorpius waited. He had ordered the Peacekeepers to step away from the prisoners and now he had them standing in front of him. He knew that they would try to protect their crewmates but he was determined to get the information he needed. 

"Lt Braca, are you in position?" Scorpius inquired over the com and the disembodied voice of his personal aide wavered into the room. 

"Yes, Sir, all weapons trained on the Leviathan's Pilot." 

"Thank you, Lt. Braca," Scorpius acknowledged shortly and smiled. 

"By the love of the goddess, you cannot do that," Zhaan started forward but was stopped short when two Peacekeepers stepped into her way, their guns trained on her chest. 

"My dear Delvian, I can do as I wish. If I think this Leviathan is better off without an anxious and over-reacting Pilot, then I'll do what I see fit." 

Zhaan inhaled sharply and turned her head away from the Sebacean-Scarren abomination. "Pilot is not anxious or overreacting. He is a trusted friend ..." 

"Yes, that much I know from another trusted friend of yours. I also saw a special bond between the Ex-Peacekeeper and the Pilot creature ... most revolting and contaminating." Scorpius smirked and looked at the Hynerian. 

"And, Dominar, what do you have to say? Any sentiments for your _shipmate_?" 

Rygel tried to straighten to his full yet miserable height and inhaled deeply, his earbrows quivering. 

"Even if you let us live, without Pilot, this Leviathan is not manoeuvrable. Either way we are frelled. Kill him off, no consequence to me..." Rygel said and ignored the sharp intakes of breaths from Chiana and Zhaan. "If Pilot dies, we will too. Do you really believe we are that naive?" 

Zhaan lowered her head and a sad smile spread over her features. "Rygel ..." she started but was stopped with an undignified snort from the short Hynerian. 

"Not a word, blue assed bitch." Rygel scoffed and sat down on the warm floor of Moya. 

"Well I don't want to die," Chiana suddenly yelled when she saw the set demeanour of her shipmates. "Moya can survive without a Pilot, right?" 

"Chiana!" Zhaan shouted and tried to stop the Nebari, but the young woman wrestled out of the Delvian's grasp and swayed over to the half Scarren scientist. 

"Well, it is true, isn't it? That Moya can survive without a pilot?" she asked seductively, her body swaying to and fro in front of Scorpius. 

"Yes, the Leviathan can be nurtured until a new Pilot is installed, though it is a lengthy process, and I doubt your well-meaning shipmates here want to wait that long." Scorpius said and raised a mitted hand to the soft grey cheek of the Nebari. She really was an attractive little trelk. 

"And you'll let us go when I tell ya where Crichton and the others are?" Chiana purred and brought her face nearer to that of the Scarren. 

"I will consent to that, young Nebari. I grant you and your shipmates as well as the Leviathan and its Pilot free passage if you hand over the human." 

Chiana looked back at Rygel and Zhaan who both shook their heads in unison. Chiana had always been a soldier of fortune and although she liked John Crichton, even looked at him as her surrogate brother, he was just that - a surrogate - and she desperately wanted to see Nerri. Here she had the chance to get the Peacekeepers off their backs and if Scorpius wanted Crichton he should get him. _John will understand,_ she told herself silently. 

Then it's a deal," she breathed. "D'Argo will be returned to us as well? And Aeryn?" Scorpius nodded his head. Chiana took a deep breath and then spoke quickly, "Crichton is on the planet, he and D'Argo are looking for Aeryn ... John is posing as Captain Dashaq." 

Scorpius smirked and raised his hand to activate the comm that was worked through into his helmet. "Lt Braca, release the Pilot of this Leviathan and prepare to disembark. We have the information we came for," Scorpius said. 

"Sir?" Braca's voice was surprised. "What about the prisoners?" 

"They are free to continue their journey and not be harmed. But they will accompany us back to the base," he grinned when he heard the collective gasp behind him. "Make sure to have enough transports ready." 

Filing slowly to the hanger bay, the prisoners were subdued and silent. Zhaan, who was walking behind Chiana, stared pulse rifle bolts at the young Nebari's back. 

"I hope you are happy now, Chiana," Zhaan hissed vehemently and spun the young woman around to face her when they had boarded one of the transport pods. What she saw, made her hesitate. The once so shining black eyes of the girl were a dull grey and silent sobs were raking the body. 

"Chiana?" Zhaan asked, raising a hand to touch the thick Nebari tears, but Chiana jerked away. 

"I'll never hear his voice, he'll never call me Chi or Pip ..." Chiana murmured as guilt began to overwhelm her. "I did this, I killed him!" Chiana's howl of agony reverberated across the empty corridors of the Leviathan as the doors behind them closed shut. Zhaan lifted a worried face, hoping that they could still find a way to get all their shipmates back safely on board Moya. 

+++++

Checking Aeryn's shoulder wound for the last time, John helped her into the Commando jacket she had shrugged off earlier. 

When she swayed, he caught her by her uninjured shoulder and steadied her. 

"You okay?" he asked, his blue eyes radiating with obvious concern. 

Aeryn simply nodded. "I'm fine, John. Let's go!" But John saw that she gritted her teeth every time she moved. 

"Come here, Sunshine," he whispered and drew her close. Aeryn let him do so and hid her face in the crook of his neck, suppressing a sigh. 

"You are not fine, Aeryn," John said and cupped her face with his hands. "That's why I want you to stay low. Shoot to kill, Aeryn, but stay out of the fray!" 

"Crichton, don't be stupid," Aeryn snapped and tried to pry his hands off her face. 

"No, Aeryn, I mean it," John interjected and rubbed his thumbs gently over her lush lips. "No little Miss Peacekeeper stunts." For long moments blue eyed stares seized each other, then Aeryn relented. 

"No stunts," she whispered softly and leant against John's tall frame, drawing strength from his presence, before they readied themselves to go outside. 

The sun was only dimly visible in the cold dawn of the new day as John and Aeryn stepped out of the barracks. Drawing their clothes tighter around them, they steeled themselves against the cold wind that brushed up flakes of freshly fallen snow from the ground. 

The rattlers were dancing a wild fox trot in John's stomach and he felt the hairs raising on the small of his neck. No sound was heard beside the harsh crunch of ice and snow under their boots and it unnerved them both. Aeryn had hidden the gun into the waistband of her leather pants and with her uninjured arm she kept brushing over it, fidgety but ready, all her senses attuned to their surroundings. 

But something felt wrong, both were aware of that as they stood in the crispy cold of the morning. Suddenly there was a noise to their right and both whirled around towards it. Only a few paces away from them Scorpius stood. His leather attire glistening in the weak winter sun, as he clapped his gloved hands together. 

John and Aeryn moved in unison as their guns aimed at the Scarran half-blood who didn't seem to be phased by their behaviour. 

"Excellent, Crichton, Officer Sun," Scorpius said and his parched lips grinned wickedly. "You almost fooled me!" 

"What do you want, Scorpius?" Aeryn shouted and suppressed a groan when her injured arm started shaking. She had used her left hand to support her gun hand but now the arm fell flat against her side. 

"From you, Ex-Officer Sun?" Scorpius asked and stepped nearer until he was only denches away from their aimed weapons. "I think you will be rudimentary in a little experiment I want to conduct," he hesitated when he saw John moving closer towards him, the tip of his gun resting squarely on his chest. 

"You stay the frell away from Aeryn," Crichton breathed angrily. 

The half-blood tutted and moved the gun away form him. "My dear John, so much bravado, so much false courage, but I'm afraid you will not prevent this from happening. You know that you cannot harm me, my skin is as hard as that of a Scarren, so put away your little gun. There is no need for it anymore ... You see, I struck a deal with one of your crew mates ..." 

"What did Buckwheat the 16th do this time? Did he sell us out for good?" John asked. 

"If you mean the Dominar, you are mistaken, John," Scorpius said and raised his hand. From all sides Peacekeeper soldiers stepped into sight and Lt. Braca dragged a subdued Chiana with him towards his _master_. 

"This little Nebari girl told me where you and your _mate_ were. I should have thought about it before. You feel deeply for Officer Sun and instead of trying to capture you I should have just captured this beautiful, contaminated Sebacean." 

John stared at Chiana, but the Nebari avoided his gaze. 

"Pip?" John asked, but the sound of his voice clearly showed that understanding was slowly coming to the surface. Shocked, the gun slipped from his grasp and he just stood there in utter defeat. 

"No! Aeryn shouted and raised her gun towards the Nebari. "I should have spaced you, you little trelk!" 

Chiana's head snapped up and locked eyes with Aeryn. "Do you really think it was easy for me to do it? But it is better to sacrifice one if the rest can be safe!" 

Aeryn shook her head at the Nebari. _How can she be so stupid?_, she thought. _ If I have learned anything from the Peacekeepers it is that sacrifice for a greater good is stupid and suicidal!_. Shifting slightly, Aeryn Sun stepped closer towards John, her gun still aimed at the Scarren. 

"So what did you offer them?" she asked harshly. "Free passage? Freedom?" 

"All of that and more, yes," Scorpius replied. "A trifle compared to what I get in return." 

"You won't get me," John breathed, suddenly coming to life.. "Not alive anyway." With this he whirled around and lunged at the Scarren-Sebacean half-blood and tried to throw him to the ground. 

Aeryn stared in shock until her PK training took over and in a wide sweep covered the advancing soldiers while John and Scorpius struggled on the frozen snow to her feet.   
All of them watched fascinated as human and Scarren alike fought for supremacy. Microts seemed to stretch into arns or so it seemed until John had Scorpius in a deadly chokehold. 

"Now, Scorpius, we deal again," Crichton hissed and yanked Scorpius head around, but no snap was heard, that would have announced the breaking neck of a human being. Dumbfounded, John loosened his grip on the scientist who in turn used the distraction to get out of the chokehold. 

"Scarren physiognomy is different, my dear John," Scorpius said and smiled a feral smile. "Allow me to explain how you can help yourself and your crew mates, especially Officer Aeryn Sun." 

Beaten, John slumped back on his heels and stared at his nemesis. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice void of emotion. 

"I want you and Aeryn Sun in return for the lives and free passage of the Leviathan, its off-spring and the crew on both ships." 

"Why Aeryn?" John asked, first looking up at Scorpius then beyond him at Aeryn who was still standing with her gun drawn. 

"I thought you wanted to have a little company while you were out of the chair, John. But I will tell you the truth. I need Officer Sun for a little experiment that High Command told me to execute, and that I will, with or without your consent." 

Suddenly a thud in the snow in front of them turned their attention towards the direction of the sound. Aeryn's blaster lay there and both men looked back at the Ex-Peacekeeper. 

"Free passage for Moya, Pilot and the others?" she asked and shook her head when she saw John opening his mouth to object. 

"Free passage for all, even the little Nebari traitor," Scorpius nodded. "High Command are not interested in a band of escaped prisoners and two Leviathans which are too much of a bother to them." 

"Agreed!" Aeryn quickly gave her consent. 

"No, Aeryn, you don't know, what that experiment is all about!" John tried to push to his feet but was quickly seized by two Peacekeeper Soldiers. 

+++++

Scorpius watched the woman who stood erect in front of him, even her sessions in the Aurora Chair had not impaired upon the natural strength of the Ex-Peacekeeper he had to admit. Shaking his head slightly he motioned her towards the chamber and Aeryn declined her head in a brief moment of weakness, then she visibly straightened. 

Aeryn looked over where John was held by two Peacekeeper soldiers. Her serene face showed visibly all the feelings she held for her human companion. Their eyes locked for the longest microt, each wrapped up in the moment to etch each other's features into their minds. John tried to convey everything he felt for this woman into the gaze, mouthing to her that he loved her, not wanting to break the moment when he spoke out loud. But Aeryn's eyes, blue like his own but edged with a stormy grey, seemed to understand the message and she in turn was sending him love and understanding, and regret. With a short nod and a sad smile, she turned and walked over the threshold into the chamber, the heat almost hitting her physically. 

"NO!" Crichton strained against the hands of his captors and tried to reach her but to no avail as cuffs bound his wrists. He watched as the heavy doors slid shut behind Aeryn, her slight figure clearly visible through the small porthole in the door. 

He struggled again, trying to break free from gloved hands who shoved him back to his knees, using the butts of their rifles to subdue him. 

"Crichton, you cannot change anything, just trust me," Scorpius said as he gave the sign to increase the heat in the small chamber. "She won't be in too much pain ... for a while yet." 

John tore his gaze from the porthole and Aeryn's stricken face and faced his nemesis. "You have me, Scorpius! Let her go!" 

The scientist shook his head and walked over to where John still crouched. Extending one leather gloved hand he tapped his index finger against the human's forehead. 

"You know that I can't do that. We have struck a deal," another tap on John's forehead. "And you know that with fulfilling the deal, certain consequences have to be faced." The Half-Scarren followed the gaze of the human toward the monitor. Aeryn Sun had slumped against the far wall of the chamber but the monitoring cameras inside spotted any movement from the Peacekeeper. 

"Ahhh, the Living Death ..."Scorpius commented, as if referring to some priced gem. "Watch John, see beyond the pain and watch the beauty. I always wondered what a mind will go through during the living death." 

"Then why don't you find out first hand, Scorpy," John choked out, red rimmed eyes unable to tear away from the image of Aeryn writhing in pain, her muscles contorting and submitting to the heat. "Pop out the cooling rods and I give you some heat." 

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Scorpius tutted and turned towards his human captive. "Always so aggressive, is this a trait of your species? Don't you understand, Crichton? Her suffering will spare thousands of Sebaceans. Aeryn Sun - if she survives - will help gain knowledge in finding an antidote to the Living Death." 

John's head snapped up and he watched the half Scarren from his perch on the floor. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, he tried to gather strength, tried to tear his gaze off the monitors that showed Aeryn's struggle against the Living Death, but he couldn't. His heart was crying out to her, he wanted to kill Scorpius, run to her, get her out of the chamber or try dying. 

_Aeryn,_ he thought silently, all his emotions concentrating on this woman as he watched her spasms, the desperate tries to breathe. After several more microts, Scorpius gave the sign to decrease the heat and when John offered to step into the chamber to get her out, Scorpius shook his head. 

"A valiant request, John, but you forget that I know your memories. You might not know it yourself but you would be able to fulfil her request she asked of you so long ago ..." Scorpius commented and John bit his lip. 

_How can I keep one step ahead of him, when he knows me so well? _ John thought and watched as two Peacekeepers in special suits carried Aeryn out of the chamber. Watching her, he knew she was still alive somewhere deep in the twisted mass of tangled legs and arms. And realisation hit him that Scorpius was right. He would have found the strength to end Aeryn's life. _Family will do it, friends will do it swiftly_, he thought before he was dragged out of the room. 

+++++

The pink liquid in the container broke the light and tinged the people standing around Scorpius in wild hues of red and rose as the Scarren held it up to the overhead lights. 

"You know, John, believe it or not, I want your precious Aeryn to live," he said and put the small container into the injector. "We'll see. First we have to decrease her body temperature and then we'll see if this antidote works." 

The Human watched as Scorpius injected the liquid into a vein on Aeryn's neck, wincing when he saw the muscle contractions. He covered his face as he waited and squeezed his eyes painfully shut. He suddenly felt a hand clamping down on his shoulder and when he turned his head slightly, he saw D'Argo standing behind him. 

Beyond the Luxan, he saw his crewmates followed in by a Peacekeeper detail. _So it seems Scorpy keeps part of the deal,_ John thought, trying to keep his rattlers under control. 

"Will you do the honours, John?" Scorpius asked, looking at the Human and then smirking when he noticed John's cuffs. "Ah I forgot, the Luxan then!" Scorpius motioned towards Aeryn Sun and then went swiftly out of the room. 

John watched as D'Argo put Aeryn's lifeless shell into the coffin-like stasis tube. A microt ago he had said good-bye, had silently bid her forgiveness for what he was about to do. It was a deal - her life for his, and he was never as happy and sad as tonight. 

Zhaan was wringing her hands when she looked over to John. He looked so calm and composed - so different from the lively Human she had come to know over the last two cycles. During the last arn or so he had talked to the Peacekeepers, had argued with Scorpius, and she was not sure what had been said or which deal had been made. One thing was sure, Scorpius would let them go. D'Argo and Jo'thee would be returned to Luxa and she herself could return to Delvia if she so wished. Zhaan was not sure what John had thought when he had informed them - he had simply said, "You can go home." When D'Argo and Chiana had asked him what would become of him or the dying Aeryn, he had just shrug his shoulders. 

"Don't worry, Aeryn and I will be alright," he had said ... and now this. Aeryn was dead, the Peacekeepers had brought her in - and John was wearing hand restraints even now. What ever he had done to strike the deal for them going home, he had been the bait and the pawn. 

The blue priestess stepped closer to John and a comforting hand was put upon his shoulder. For a microt he turned his head as if to acknowledge her, then he stepped away. 

"Aeryn .... ummm...," he began and tears welled up inside of him. He knew he had to do it, to do it for his friends and for his love. Scorpius had promised to let them go, to give Aeryn the life back she had almost lost. 

"Goodbye," he whispered and bent forward, his hands caressing her, his lips on hers. She was cold to the touch, the Living Death. 

"I'm sorry Aeryn, I really wish I could stay with you ... but you must live. I love you ..." he whispered softly into her ear, and with one last long parting look, he straightened and ordered the Peacekeepers to shut the stasis chamber. 

"John," Zhaan started again, but this time her comforting hand fell flat at her side, when she saw his face. It was hardened, it seemed as if John Crichton had aged cycles over the last microts. 

"Now, go. There is nothing to keep you here," John's voice had a definite edge to it. "Go!" he said again, more forcefully, and when Jo'thee, who still couldn't understand what was going on or that he all of a sudden had turned from an orphan into the son of a Luxan Warrior, didn't move a muscle, John viciously shoved him out of the way. 

"I want you ... to go ... all of you. Go home to Moya. Scorpius and the Peacekeepers won't hold you responsible. Just ... GO!" His voice cracked and John closed his eyes. _GO, please_, he pleaded silently. _Go, so you won't see the price I have to pay for your freedom ..._

+++++

Scorpius had watched the good bye scene from one of com ports of the Aurora Chair, unlike the others he knew that the Aurora was more than a vicious instrument of torture, it was peace-giving and communicative - in a way. 

The Scarren smirked at that and walked over to the view port where he could see Moya anchoring in the vastness of space. Soon the Leviathan would be gone, with it the prisoners and their problems - problems they had caused him. 

_Soon, the wormhole technology is mine_, he thought and laughter rose in his throat. _Finally, it will be mine, and John Crichton will be mine as well ..._

The door opened and Lt. Ashareq shoved the prisoner in. Scorpius noticed it with a frown and when the Peacekeeper tried to shove John a second time, Scorpius raised his hand and motioned the Peacekeeper outside. 

"Very well, I'm glad that you have joined me, John," Scorpius said and a grin distorted his already scarred face. "I'm very glad." 

John sneered at that but when his look fell on the Chair, he swallowed hard. He knew what was coming, Scorpius wanted the knowledge of the wormhole technology stored deeply inside his mind, and the deal was that he should get it - for Aeryn and for the others. 

Closing his eyes, Crichton tried to suppress the shudder that ran down his spine. Never ever in his life had he felt so full of terror and fear. He tried to conjure up Aeryn's beautiful face, trying to memorise her ivory skin and her raven black hair, but even those soothing images of his loved one could not dispel the terror that lay before him - the chair. 

John felt hands removing the handcuffs and then he was lead over to the contraption. A shudder, stronger than the one before, rocked his body as he was bound into the chair by none other than Scorpius himself. 

"I want you to relax, John. There is nothing to fear. You know that the more you put up defences against the Aurora Chair the more it will hurt you. Just give in ..." Scorpius said and John watched him with terror filled eyes. 

"Get real, Scorpy, do you ... do you think you can get me so easily?" 

Scorpius smiled and then shook his head. 

"Do not underestimate me, John Crichton. Unlike you, I know where your weaknesses are ..." With this he motioned with his hand and the doors opened. Two Peacekeepers brought in the stasis tube. John fought against the restraints of the chair when he saw it was Aeryn's. 

"You told me she would be safe ... You PROMISED!" he yelled, fighting the restraints which were cutting deeply into his flesh. 

"Calm yourself, John. Of course she is safe. She merely sleeps a deep slumber but if you keep fighting against the Chair, I could be led to the impression that you are not working with me, that you perhaps do not want to keep the deal ... then of course I will be forced to take countermeasures ...," Scorpius took a strange looking syringe and opened the lid of the tube. "I could get impatient, my dear John and I do not think that your precious Aeryn appreciates the Living Death. After all, _I_ have the cure..." 

"Leave her alone, Scorpius, you have me. You promised to let her go once the healing cycle is over," John rasped and stopped fighting against the restraints. "I will stick to my guns, do whatever you have to do to get that wormhole technology out of my mind." 

"Ah, thank you Commander Crichton," Scorpius replied, closing the lid again he came over to John and the Aurora Chair. 

"Trust me, John. You will feel better if you do not fight," and with these words he started the contraption. 

Scorpius hovered like a predator always at the fringe of John's perception. The Commander had been unconscious several times in the last few arns and still the Scarren had not been able to retrieve the information he craved for. John was exhausted and he wished himself out of the chair- out of this misery ... and out of this life. But as long as Scorpius did not get the desired information he was not able to get out of this easily. 

John groaned silently - his ability to form any sounds in his throat long gone. He felt as if all the liquids in his body had been drawn out, burnt away at the intensity of the Aurora Chair. He tried to wet his lips but all he could feel was skin like parchment covering his dry lips. The pain subsided somewhat when he tried to close his eyes, even those were dry and the lids felt as if he tried to cover his eyes with a hard cardboard cover. He couldn't stand it anymore, every time he tried to open up more, to give Scorpius all he wanted, his mind went blank and he was unconscious. It was like a curse, he had been so near to the truth, so near to the one chance to save his and Aeryn's life, but his body if not his mind had deserted him. 

Scorpius watched the human closely. He was amazed how much resilience the human body and mind could muster up to the Aurora Chair. This species was rising in his estimation and he was almost sad that he had to break the man. Slowly he turned towards his minion, Niem, and nodded to raise the power of the Chair another notch. 

"John, you are a good man, but for your own sake you should tell me what I require, give in, and the pain will go away ..." he whispered in John's ear but the human was too far away now. Pain raged in his body and every sinew, every muscle and fibre in his abused body screamed to be released. 

_I can't .. let go ..._, John thought with what little was left of his mind. He saw flashes of his childhood race before his inner eye. Images of his parents, his father - who had been absent most of his childhood and his mother, who had comforted the young boy. Then the day of the Farscape One shuttle mission, he still could remember the brilliance of the sunrise over Cape Canaveral, the orange and the yellow of the sun rising slowly and gloriously into the sky - the blue sky of Earth ... Sun ... 

John swallowed hard. _The radiant Sun_, he thought again and a smile, weak and shattered, crossed his face. The first image of Aeryn Sun appeared in his mind. The moment she had taken off her flight helmet, the ivory skin, the raven-black hair ... those beautiful silver-grey eyes, which had looked upon him in hatred. He remembered all the little bits of her, her mannerisms, her little gestures. The way she looked when she was flushed and irritated, the way she looked when he had made love to her on that false Earth ... 

"Aeryn ..." The simple word eased softly out of him, forming the whole world that was John Crichton. Nothing else mattered more than this simple word. 

Scorpius had heard the name, and over the past few arns he had come to hate it, come to hate the person and also the strength behind it. 

"Is love really that strong, John?" he mocked. "Do you really think that Officer Aeryn Sun will ever love you? She is Sebacean, she will never commit and also never share your weak genes to procreate. Love is nothing but a meek emotion to her and I don't think your little trysts have made it any easier for her to trust you ..." 

John would have shook his head but he knew better than to try to do just that. The sensorial needles in his brain prevented this. 

"Scorpy ... I really ... pity you ...," John said with all the strength that he could muster. "Your mother must have hated you if Sebaceans are as you just ... claimed ... the pure blood was polluted ... what did she do? Hate you? Abuse you?" he asked. 

Scorpius turned around to face Crichton as if he was hit by a whiplash. 

"She died ... I killed her," Scorpius hissed and turned away. 

John closed his eyes. _Holy Shit_, he thought. 

+++++

When John came to again, the room he was in was dark and he was lying on some kind of cot. Sitting up, John groaned and rubbed his temples and the side of his neck warily. He felt soreness at the side where the chip had been, or did Scorpius implant a new one there? He couldn't remember and his thoughts were still too jumbled to make much sense of them. 

Suddenly, lights came to life and John closed his eyes when the bright glare hit his retinas. He groaned and tried to take a short glimpse, all he could make out in the white glare was a room similar to one of those sterile hospital operation rooms, and he shuddered at the thought what Scorpius had in store for him. 

Suddenly, a door opened outside his area of perception and straining his ears, John tried to discern if it was the Scarren who was entering the room. 

"Ah you are awake, good!" Scorpius' voice held a true ring of excitement and John groaned. 

"Where is Aeryn?" John asked and tried to raise himself up on his elbows but Scorpius hand pushed him down onto the cot again. 

"She is in the other room, she has just started her wake-up cycle. But you know, John, you still didn't give me what I wanted, but I'm sure now that the wormhole technology that was implanted in your mind doesn't want to be discovered." Scorpius smiled again. "SO I will have to take another approach and I think it will be highly successful ..." 

"What other approach?" Crichton breathed, dread filling up every fibre of his being. 

Scorpius tapped John's forehead, then the side of his neck. "I will get in there personally. My clone was not able to retrieve the information, but I surely will." 

"What do you mean?" John Crichton managed to choke out before fear overtook him. 

"With the modification of the chip, I can become you, I will have every access of any and every emotion, thought and idea immediately." Scorpius grinned. "And you know what? It will give me great pleasure to see Aeryn Sun through your eyes. I always wondered if it is true what the philosophers say: _You always kill what you love_!" 

+++++

Waiting never seemed to have been the forte on the Half-Scarren, Half-Sebacean, but now within this human body it was almost unbearable to wait for the antidote to work its magic on the contorted body of Ex-Officer Aeryn Sun. 

Scorpius had never thought it was this easy to overcome the will of the human. _I should have thought about it earlier_, he thought and smiled. _But of course, the hunt was almost as enjoyable as finding the knowledge_. 

When he first had entered John Crichton's mind and body via the specially created neuro chip, getting rid of the clone who had been taunting the human, he was amazed on how different the human functioned. He might look like a Sebacean but the human's mind was totally different from anything he had ever experienced. 

Scorpius shook his head and watched his former body, slumped on the operating table. The neuro-line that was connecting him to his old body clearly visible in the bright light of the operating theatre. 

"Sir?" Lt. Braca's voice was overly loud in Scorpius' ears, this body still adjusting to the mind that was so highly attuned. 

"Lt Braca?" Scorpius asked and turned around. The Peacekeeper drew in his breath loudly when he saw his master, or someone that resembled him. Looking at the slumped body of the scientist on the operating table, he tried to grasp what happened in the last two arns. 

"Braca, don't be alarmed. This is just to get the wormhole technology and I'm close," Scorpius said and smiled. "Check Sun's vitals, then leave us alone." 

After Braca had left him alone, Scorpius walked over to the second operating table. His mind still had to take hold of the bodily functions of the new body but he knew he was close, and that his search for the wormhole technology would soon be over. 

Watching the woman on the table, he tried to tab into the emotions of his host, tried to grasp the knowledge why the Sebacean and the Human seemed so inseparable. After a few adjustments of his mind, he was able to reach into the emotions and feelings of the Human easily and what he found surprised him. 

The depth of emotion for the woman in front of him engulfed him, seemed to overwhelm him in strength but he was too much the result of his Scarren genetics as to be submerged by the deep feelings for the Ex-Peacekeeper. 

Stepping in front of the unconscious woman, he almost gently caressed her cheek and felt the smoothness of the skin which seemed to trigger even more emotions. 

"Interesting," Scorpius said. "John Crichton, you are a very amazing and interesting subject." 

The woman stirred beneath his hand, and the Scarren half-breed smiled at that. Stepping back, he watched as Aeryn Sun moved on the operating table. 

Aeryn felt as if every muscle, every bone in her body had been broken and twisted as she pushed herself into a sitting position. The glare of the lights still hurt her eyes and with a groan, she closed them, cradling her head in her hands. 

"Good to see you awake." 

Aeryn's head snapped up and turned her head into the direction of the voice. "John?" 

"I'm here, my love." Arms encircled her, strong arms so familiar and yet something seemed so different. Aeryn struggled to open her eyes, overcame the sense of nausea as she raised her head to watch the face of the man that had come to mean so much to her. 

"NO!" her cry was choked when she saw John's familiar face but contorted by the Scarren's leather cap. Trying to push away from him, she stumbled and fell against a second table on which the real Scorpius lay. With a suppressed cry, she pushed herself off, directly into the waiting arms of the _other_ John. 

"What did he do?" Aeryn tried to make sense of all of this but all she could come up with was that she was still caught up in a nightmare. _It must be a nightmare,_ her mind screamed, trying frantically to make sense of the creature in front of her. 

"My dear Aeryn Sun, don't be afraid. Everything is perfectly fine," Scorpius said and gently patted her cheek. "You see, your John Crichton agreed to a little experiment. I couldn't retrieve the wormhole technology that the Ancients implanted deeply into his mind and my neuro chip was almost useless. So with a little coaxing, I persuaded him to execute a final experiment. You and Crichton are free to go after I succeed ... if he is still alive by then." 

"How ..." Aeryn stared at the being in front of her, familiar features of John Crichton were still visible but all in all he looked like a grotesque copy of the real Scorpius. 

"Oh you mean how did I succeed?" Scorpius smiled and began pacing the room. "It is a very difficult and delicate operation. The neuro chip implanted in John's neck has its twin in mine, through this," and here he pointed towards the small thin neuro transmitter cable, "This does actually allow me to be inside John Crichton. I feel like him, speak almost like him ... experience the same pain and joy at seeing you..." 

Aeryn Sun stared at the figure in front of her in horror. Ever since she had awakened from the Living Death, she had felt as if caught in a nightmare. This man ... this _THING_ was the worst yet. 

"That can't be ...," she whispered and tears filled her eyes slowly and she stumbled backwards again. She fell to the ground with a loud thud, her legs still too weak to support her after she had so narrowly escaped the Living Death. When Aeryn tried to haul herself up on her knees again, she saw a pulse rifle lying underneath one of the operating tables. A guard must have stashed it there when they had brought her in and forgotten all about it. 

"So what are you going to do? If John survives?" Aeryn asked casually while she slowly pulled the gun from its hidden spot. 

"Well this is up to you, my dear Aeryn. You are living proof that our antidote for the Living Death is successful, so you are free to go. Whether you want to take your mate with you, is up to you ..." 

The woman whirled around when she heard him advancing towards her and as she raised the pulse weapon, she straightened visibly. 

Scorpius spread his arms wide and smiled. 

"Ah do it, Aeryn, I know it is in you!" he said, smirking and taunting her while his claw-like hands reached for her pulse rifle. 

Aeryn reacted purely on instinct when she almost fell towards the prone form of the real Scorpius on the table. Pushing the butt of the rifle against the small of his back, she locked eyes with the other Scorpius. 

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Officer Sun, I never thought you were so stupid," Scorpius coaxed. "Of course there will be no chance that John will ever be free of me if you destroy my body. Do you really think I would let John live once you murdered me?" 

"I'm sorry, John ..." she stated simply and pulled the trigger of the gun. But the butt had slipped and instead of hitting the small of Scorpius' neck, the flash hit the side of his head, causing the cooling rod to pop out and disable the neuro chip. 

Flashes struck the body of John/Scorpius as the connection between Human and Half-Scarren was almost severed. With an unholy cry that made Aeryn cringe, John slumped to the ground, holding his head and the voice asking for forgiveness was that of John. 

When it was over, Aeryn had almost put the whole Chak'ran oil magazine of the pulse rifle into the body of the defenceless Scorpius, bullets being deflected from the thick skin of the being, that she had to duck any stray bolts of light. 

When she heard a whimper behind her, she turned around and the weapon fell out of her lifeless fingers and slipped with a loud clank to the steel floor. The sight of John lying deadly still on the cold floor caused her blood to freeze in her veins. Slowly she made her way over to the figure who was lying in that too familiar red stain of blood, the blood already coagulating with the leather and the debris. 

"Aeryn ..." John's eyes looked out of Scorpius' face as Aeryn bent over the man. 

"I had no, no choice ... either that or he would have ... killed .. you!" Even as he spoke his skin, freed of the evil influence of the chip and its connection with Scorpius, became smooth again, his face distorted still by the leather cap, which was so much the trademark of the Scarren. 

Aeryn took a scalpel from the nearby operating table and cut it off swiftly, freeing his beloved face from the mask. Then she bent down and cradled his head in her lap. 

"Don't move, Crichton, I will get you out of here," Aeryn tried to put as much conviction into her words as she could muster but she knew from the amount of blood covering her hands that it was almost too late. One or two of the rifle bolts that had been deflected by the hard skin of the Scarren must have hit him. She leaned over him, examining his body and she could see that one had hit right beneath his heart while another one had grazed the side of his temple. 

"Aeryn ... I'm .... sorry," John whispered and groaned when he felt her hand examining the entry wound. 

"Just shut up, John, you have to save your breath," Aeryn ordered harshly but the catch in her voice betrayed her and tears were flowing freely down her ivory cheeks as she held him close, sobs raking her body, shaking her to her soul. 

They could both hear alarm klaxons going off beyond the steel doors of the operating theatre and they knew that they wouldn't get out of there alive. Briefly, Aeryn wondered if D'Argo and the others had made it back safely on Moya and silently she bid her crewmates good-bye. 

Both felt the shudders of explosions going off somewhere on the base and for a short fleeting moment they thought that their crewmates had returned. But they knew that they did not have the technology to create such earth-shattering explosions. Staring at each other closely, they waited ... for what exactly, they both did not know. 

John watched her silently, his tears mingling with hers when they fell down on his face. He still wanted to tell her so many things, wanted to show her how much he loved her, wanted her to see his home planet. But it was too late, too late to show her all the things that were dear to him. 

_I love you, Aeryn Sun_, he wanted to say but all that passed his lips was a soft sigh before he exhaled his last breath - John Crichton, astronaut, scientist and hunted human, was dead and at peace at last. 

The End 

To Be Continued with **Sufferance** soon


End file.
